Drag Queen
by sweet-and-simple
Summary: Lee is coming to KonoSuna district as he truly wishes to; HERself! Fortunes and misfortunes befall this little crossdresser, but his gang is with him the whole way! GaaLee, NaruHina, KankyKiba, ShikaChou, KakaGai, SakuSai
1. Chapter 1

The first day of high school in a new district, Lee has dared himself to live it out as he truly feels… A girl! However, cross-dressing Lee is going to meet quite the surprise. Both good and bad from the bipolar best friend to the homophobic ex-friend.

**Do I own Naruto or any of its characters? I must because Gaara and Lee are going at it like bunnies- oh, wait… They're not! Daaaaammnnn… Enjoy!**

_Chapter One_

He sighed again. He smoothed the green, A-line skirt over his smooth, hairless legs another time. Next, he fingered his pristine white Clint blouse; modestly loose about his thin chest as well as his entire body, held up by thick strips of black and white arrow-head style design. Appearances were often deceiving; he may be at skinny as a stick, but his appetite and strength belied it.

He had a groan of despair for it before shoving aside his self-pity and focusing on the rest of his outfit.

He wore his dark blue Nikes and orange legwarmers draped just over their laces. He looked back to the mirror and studied his face.

His eyes were such a dark brown, they were nearly ebony. He could not help but be upset whenever anyone claimed that they _were_ black. If he caught them in the right light, it revealed that they were a very dark hazel. They were large orbs in his round face and they were coupled nicely with plump -if not turtle-shaped- lips and a straight nose the exact size for his face. His glossy raven-wing black hair was braided to the right and therefore was casually hanging over his right shoulder.

He trailed a hand over it, feeling each smooth bump. On his left wrist, he had his black and metallic water-proof watch. On his right was a variety of band bracelets, each with their own catch such as the red one, 'Drug Free for Life' or the multi-colored 'Wild Thing' and even the green 'Beautiful Thang'. There was a fair number of others, but those were his favorites.

He rubbed the back of his neck, entirely uncertain of how today would go. He closed his eyes and took deep, even breaths.

He had done this at his last school. Only the last month or so after having been dared to wear a woman's nightgown out on a run throughout his home street. He had… liked that feeling. As if his skin was not being strangled to his muscle and organs as breezes touched him in places men's clothing would not allow. He had experienced with makeup a little later but had not liked that as much, mostly for how painted up he had made himself look.

It was why he was with his uncle now.

He shook his head furiously. He would not think of it! He sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly, smiling confidently for the mirror. His eyes looked far to dim for his own liking.

There was a loud knock on his door before it opened, not waiting for an answer. His uncle pushed his entire head through the ajar entrance. His uncle spotted him and smiled widely, his eyes hazing over as he jumped entirely into the room, snapping his Kodak camera madly.

He squeaked and nearly dove for cover behind the mirror. Instead, he folded his arms over his chest and stared wide-eyed at his uncle. "Uncle Gai, please!" He nearly choked.

His uncle, as wonderful as he was, did not listen. "You look so youthful, Lee! I feel as if I have never before seen such a beautiful girl!" His uncle winked at him, chuckling in his chest. "I mean, _boy_."

Lee smiled, though still a little nervy. "I… I do not know if I should go through with this…" He forced himself to breathe calmly. He? Not able to follow through with something once he had begun it?

In some matters, everyone was a coward. This was his fear. He looked back up at his now sober uncle and looked from one dark eye to the other; they had the same almost-black-but-truly-dark-hazel orbs. "What if they find out?"

His uncle stared at him, open and serious for a rare occasion. "If they do? Well then, they are not worthy of knowing you if they will not let you be yourself." He gestured to Lee's state of dress. "This, my youthful nephew, is who you are and who you want to be." He pointed one finger at the ceiling and closed his eyes dramatically as he continued. "That does not mean you must run out and get a sex change! You are far too young for such a thing!" When his eyes opened again, they were almost unbearably soft and caring. "However, I accept you for all you are."

Lee was nearly in tears by the time his uncle stopped speaking. He ran the distance between them before leaping high, landing on his uncle in a tangle of limbs. "Thank you, Uncle Gai." Tears trickled from his eyes. "Thank you…"

If only…

Again, he shook the thoughts away. Not here! Not now! Now he would be happy and now he would give himself another shot! Nothing would stand in his way except fear and he would conquer it!

He smiled largely against his uncle's neck. YOSH!

_I'm not entirely certain if I got the idea from Lunakalotus and Satina, or if it reminded me of their RP, but to be safe, I give credit to them for the idea! Anywho, the reason you all have it mostly at once is because I was ashamed of how I ended my magic story, so I decided to write out the whole story before posting anything. It went wonderfully and I think you're all going to be proud! I felt much less rushed and it flew out very well! _

_Because I wrote this all at once, this will be the only message throughout it. Please be dolls and review! _


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Another speech about starting the year, what supplies we will _all_ need (there is a pointed stare at me at this point of the 'welcoming' speech), and a long-winded talk about what is and is not acceptable in the classroom. He glares at me and I know he's waiting for me to break them each already.

I don't give a shit for what he expects.

Bored, I look out of the window. At the other side of the room, the door clicks and then groans open. The teacher stops his speech and I look again out of the corner of my eye.

With interest, I turn my head entirely to study the newcomer. The teacher twitches a facial muscle in what could have been a sneer, but he hides it just as quickly. He accepts the newcomer's note and ignores her sheepish smile and apologies.

He turns to us all, looking rather pissed. "Class!" His voice was a bark and three students jerked as it woke them from their comatose state. The teacher made an offhand gesture to the newcomer. "This is Lee. She's new here and _apparently_ didn't know what time fifth period started. Isn't that right, _Lee_?"

The newcomer flushed red and bowed low as she apologized again. She was, again, ignored.

"Now, class, what time does fifth period begin?" There was a small number of mumbles before he growled at them. "_Class_."

"11:12 A.M." They chorused it out, most not looking up.

The newcomer, _Lee_, gave the class a formal bow. "Thank you." She did not quite sound thankful; more mortified than anything else.

The teacher glared at her. "Remember that and find your seat."

I could not help but feel pleased- not for the teacher's reaction, but for the layout of the room. The class is small, but the numbers of desks is just as limited. Out of the 15 desks spaced out in the room, there is one left.

She walked down the aisle with her head downcast and her books held at her side. She slides them onto the desk before sitting down directly in front of me.

I stare at the back of her head. The Advanced Placement English class hardly held my attention.

Mr. Tatami, the teacher, has issues. Just like last year.

I entertain myself studying the long graceful back of her neck. As it also turns out, she is one of the few ever women who can sense when someone is outright staring at them.

She snaps around faster than I could have diverted my eyes had I been shy. Since I am not, I do not even bother to look away once she does realize I am staring at her. I hold her wide-eyed gaze. My own narrow at a realization; at the front of the classroom, her eyes had appeared as black. Now, however, so close with the sun shining through, I see hazel. An almost opaque hazel. How could eyes be so dark and yet so light?

She blinked after a moment before smiling awkwardly. "Hello." She whispers, her sweet voice pitched low. "My name is Lee. And yours?" She stares curiously at me, as if what I have to say is the most important thing ever said.

I cock my head and studied her with lazy eyes. She flushes further as my eyes travel down, my arms folded on the desk's surface. "Gaara."

She gives the front of the room where Mr. Tatami is writing something on the board a checking glance before a reaching a hand out to me. I stare at it blankly for a long moment before gripping it loosely.

I feel rough skin but they hold the sensation of being soft. I stare at it for a long moment. "It is good to meet you, Gaara." She says with a charming, happy smile.

I let my hand drift away, sliding it over the back of her hand and over her wrist before dropping it. Her palms are rough, but the back of her hand is incredibly soft. A dusting of red covers her cheeks as if she knew what I exactly I was doing.

She turns back in her seat before the teacher could catch us.

For the rest of fifth period, I could hear her pencil scratching against paper. When the bell rings, the teacher drones on and everyone is one the edges of their seats. Except for her and me. She continued devotedly taking notes and I continue staring at her back. I can see the tension in her shoulders.

By the time the teacher dismisses up, there are two minutes to get to next period. As it also turns out, she was very quick to leave.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lee bit deeply into his bottom lip, all but running from fifth period. Had that other boy been…? No! Most certainly not!

He sped up, his cheeks a brick red as his skirt flapped against his thighs. Did that mean -if, theoretically, the redhead _had_ been staring at _him_- that Gaara, as he knew him, thought he was… cute?

An smile exploded across his face and he hugged his books to his flat chest. Well, theoretically, that was a wonderful thought!

"Hey…" Lee ignored the gruff, hoarse voice, thinking it talking to someone else. It was her first day in an entirely new school district; who would call out to him? "Hey!" Now he looked around himself, if only out of curiosity.

What he saw made his heart stop and covered his claret face with a ghostly-pale look. "N-Naruto?" His voice was far too shrill and high.

And, of course, the first thing his long-gone friend said, with a scratch to his head of wild blonde spikes and a confused narrow of eyes, was a question in the middle of the crowded, milling hall. "Hey, fuzzy brows, why are you wearing a skirt? You look like a girl!"

Lee nearly fainted, actually swaying where he stood. He felt eyes turn towards him curiously and he could not meet any of them. His throat was dry and his mouth gaped as he tried to say something.

Oh, god, it was going to happen again. Just as it had happened at their old school, everyone was going to figure out how much of a freak he was and start hating him, hurting him-

"_This, my youthful nephew, is who you are and who you want to be." "However, I accept you for all you are."_

Lee took a deep, calming breath at remembering his uncle's words. He nearly ran at Naruto, grabbing his arms in the crook of his elbow and pulling the blonde with him. This is not a matter to be spoken openly!

His friend let out a surprised cry while stumbling backwards, looking at Lee with wide cyan eyes. "Hey, Lee! What the hell?"

The bell went off but Lee ran to the boy's bathroom anyway. Luckily, no boys were in there. He pushed Naruto in with him and looked at Naruto with pleading eyes. "Naruto, please!"

The blonde nearly tripped over his legs as his backward tread was halted. He scowled at Lee. "What?"

Lee took a deep breath. "Naruto, this feels right for me to wear this!… And I do not want everyone to find out so early that I am a boy…" That had not worked out so well at his old school… Heck, he had been with his friends that he had known for years and they had abandoned him when everyone had started ganging up on him.

He sighed sadly at the reminder, rubbing at his breastbone. One of the boys had been cruel. His thought process had been 'If you think you're a girl, why don't we just treat you like a whore, eh?' Luckily, it had not gotten so far. They had been in a classroom after all, and it had only been a few more minutes before the teacher had arrived and broke it up.

"Please, Naruto… Do not go about telling everyone, please!" Naruto stared hard at him, blue eyes wiser than Lee could ever remember them looking.

Finally, the blonde grinned large. "Sure, fuzzy brows!" He winked. "I'll go along with that!"

He sighed shakily. Before even he knew what he was doing, he pulled the blonde hard into a hug. "Thank you, Naruto… It doesn't disgust you?" This was something new.

Naruto shrugged his shoulder. "Nah… I've seen a lot worse!" Lee was not at all certain how to take that. Then Naruto continued. "I should've seen this coming anyway! Remember that time I dared you to wear that dress? You forgot to take it off and looked like the cat that got the bird!"

Lee rubbed his braid between both hands. "Yes…"

Naruto squinted his eyes at him. "Hey, why did you move here anyway?" It was strange how Naruto, boy believed to have no brain more than a third of the day, knew exactly what _not_ to say because it was exactly what _no one _wanted to talk about.

Lee ducked his head to his chest, fiddling with the loose hairs beneath the green hair band. "… They were disgusted…" His voice cracked on the second syllable of the last word. He didn't lift his eyes again.

There was a long moment of silence from Naruto. "Those assholes! What? Do they think they're all above or somethin'? Those bastards, they should have their asses kicked!" Lee was grabbed by both shoulders and he met Naruto's eyes in surprise. "What did they do?" His voice was a dark growl and his eyes were dark and dangerous.

Now it was Lee's turn to fall into silence. This was the part of Naruto he himself had not met. They had been friends for years, yet not that close ands so he had never seen the part of him that was protective and supportive. He was always determined and forward, but not to this extent where he looked ready to kill anyone Lee would name off.

He didn't though. He smiled a little and went forward, enfolding his old friend in a hug. "Thank you, Naruto. For caring."

"Yeeeaaaahh… Fuzzy brows, I'm cool with this thing you've got goin' on, but… Could you let go?" Lee did so with a giggle and a sappy grin. Naruto gave his own smirk back in turn, forgetting entirely about his earlier growled question. He sighed as he slouched, rubbing a hand over his belly. "I'm starving! I'm going to get some food."

Lee blinked. Frowned. And then freaked out. "Oh my gosh!" He slapped a hand to his face. "I am late for class!" He remembered with horror how last period had happened when he had been late. He did _not_ want a repeat.

Naruto frowned now. "Fuzzy brows, it's C lunch." Lee looked at Naruto with utter confusion.

"Wait… so I am not late for a class…?" His brows furrowed as he gave it some thought.

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "Yeah, didn't you know that?" Lee shook his head.

"No… I did not know that…" He snapped his fingers when he realized why. "They were going to tell us fifth period, right?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, unless you have A lunch. Then they tell you fourth period because right after you go to lunch."

Lee shook his head, laughing a little at himself. "I was three minutes late to my fifth period class! I had had no idea where the B wing was and ended up circling the arts hall looking for it." He smiled fondly. "It explains so much!"

Naruto grinned. "Hey, wanna come eat with my gang?" Lee smiled, his eyes lighting up.

"You bet I would! I would love to meet your friends, Naruto!" They walked at a comfortable pace out of the bathroom, entering the hall again. As if luck was on their side, no one was walking by.

After all, a girl leaving the restroom with a boy? Scandalous! His first day and people would be certain that he was a whore. He had no idea what they would make of Naruto, seeing as how they knew him.

Naruto had his books in a small froggy pack on his back while Lee swung his material at his hip. "Best of all, these friends aren't assholes!" Lee smiled at that.

"That is great news, Naruto!"

They ascended a staircase. Lee frowned thoughtfully. "The cafeteria is that way" He pointed in the basic direction of the hall down the right end, though a floor now blocked their vision with them being on the second floor. "is it not?"

Naruto grinned at him. "Yeah, but we eat lunch on the roof." His grin turned into a frown. "Don't you pack?" Lee nodded, relieved a bit.

"Yes, I do. Luckily, my locker is up here because I did not take it with me to my last period."

Naruto smiled at that. "Great! Let's just grab your lunch then and we'll get on the roof!"

Three down at the opposite end of the hall, Lee opened his locker and took out his lunch, putting his books into it and then shutting the long door.

He followed Naruto out of the next hallway door and then up another staircase before they opened a rather large metal door with a push bar for a handle.

Sunlight assaulted Lee's eyes and he blinked to try and clear his vision of dark spots. Next to him, Naruto shouted out. "Hey, HEY! Gang, meet Lee! H- er, _She _is an old friend from my last school!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Three_

Lee focused fuzzy vision on Naruto's 'gang'. Five boys and a girl were looking at him, each of them with their own curiosity… except one.

Lee gaped at the redhead he already knew, even as Naruto went into introduction.

"Lee, this is Sakura!" He pointed at the pink-haired girl with bright, grass-green eyes. Sakura smiled welcomingly at him. Lee returned it with a formal bow and a smile of his own.

"Great! I won't be the only girl with you pigs anymore." She sounded teasing.

"That's Kiba." His finger was straight at a dark brunette boy with red, upside-down, triangular markings, one on each cheek. He smiled at him and Lee saw pointed canines.

"Yo, Lee!" He gave a two-finger salute to him. Lee returned with a full salute, smiling happily.

"That there is Chouji and Shikamaru." His finger pointed first at a 'fluffy' teen with spiky dark-honey hair and warm amber eyes. His hand was wrist-deep in a bag of chips. He gave an offhand wave to Lee with his mouth full of said snack. Lee smiled sweetly. He was cute in a best-friend-also-pillow way. Lee wanted to hug him!

The finger went to a bored looking teen with bakers chocolate hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. His eyes were a dark, murky wood color. He gave Lee a slight nod of the head, braced on his hands while leaning back at a very close proximity to Chouji. Lee bowed again.

And then Naruto's finger shot over to the redhead. Gaara cocked his head, eyes focused entirely on Lee. "We've met." Naruto blinked, finger still pointing at him. Then he scowled.

"Well, I'm gonna introduce you guys anyway!" He put a hand between Lee's shoulders and pushed him forward, shoving until Lee stood about two feet from the sitting teen. "Lee!" He sounded forceful. "This is Gaara! The jackass who keeps trying to steal my thunder!"

Lee swallowed and gave a deep nod back to the blankly staring redhead. His eyes were darkly shadowed, as if he were either wearing mascara or had never slept before in his life. The dullness of his fresh green eyes, as if he was unaware of the physical world but understood it on some level unreachable to any other human being, made Lee want to opt for the second. His hair was a vibrant scarlet and Lee knew if he put the freshest red rose next to it, the teen's hair would _still_ be brighter. His skin was deathly pale, though, a sharp contrast to his hair but a very good one. Above his left eye was a red-ink tattoo of a Japanese kanji symbol Lee vaguely remembered meant 'love'. He wore a black stretch shirt with a row of D-rings on the right side of his chest and were connected by bondage to the left side of his chest, and black strap bondage pants over red converse.

He was sin on a stick. Lee knew because his heart thundered in his chest and he could hear his uncle screaming in the back of his head 'So cool! So hip! Far too unenergetic for you!'

He smiled again for the redhead, stretching his hand out as he had done the first time. "Hello, Gaara. It is wonderful to meet you!…" He could not help but smile a bit more genuinely as humor twinkled in his eyes. "again."

His hand was studied for a long moment, longer than the earlier moment had been. He began to take it away, thinking that, possibly, Gaara did not want to bother to shake it a second time.

"Aw, come on you asshole!" The hand between Lee's shoulders shoved hard, in what Lee understood was a 'go for it, man!' enthusiasm… Except Lee was not balanced for the 'go for it, man!' slap to the back.

He stumbled a step forward and flung his arms out wide to catch himself, flailing them madly as his body teetered towards the ground. Wit his body bent over the redhead, he managed to catch himself on his tiptoes with no small amount of effort. His body was bent at a nice ninety degree angle at the hip and Gaara's head was not two inches from his waist.

There was a chorus of laughter. "Good catch, Lee!" He heard Kiba whoop.

"Naruto, you idiot!" That was Sakura, sounding murderous.

"I didn't mean to!" Naruto sounded quite afraid. "Hey, at least he didn't _fall_ on him!" Lee heard nothing from Shikamaru and Chouji, though Kiba was snickering.

This was still a predicament even though he hadn't fallen on Gaara. Because at this angle, with his loose white clint top having fluttered over Gaara's head, the other teen was getting a view of his belly and if he looked up or down, he'd see a lot more skin!… Which was more than Lee's modestly would allow. He did not even wear trunks when swimming! He wore a green/white striped one piece when in the water.

His face fired up and it was all he could do to not leap away and slap Gaara across the face at the same time. It was not his fault, after all… It was still mortifying, though.

There was sudden realization of the situation and Lee finally heard chuckling from Shikamaru and Chouji. He could _hear_ Sakura's fury radiating and Naruto quiver.

He squeaked weakly. Why wasn't Gaara moving! Taking action into his own hands, he slapped his hands to his belly to take the fabric back against him instead of over Gaara. Gaara stared at his now covered belly for another moment before looking up at him.

Lee stared horrified back at him.

There was a sound of fist meeting flesh in the background and he heard a body meet ground. Stealing a deep breath, he turned his head to look. What he saw made his eyes widen.

Sakura… was kicking Naruto into the next tomorrow! Not literally, of course… She was far too busy hitting him with clenched fists that left instant bruises and bumps over Naruto's face. "You idiot! Can't you think for a minute?"

Lee gaped, shocked. What kind of friend was this!

"Don't worry about it, Lee." Lee turned his shocked gaze onto the oh-so-calm Kiba. The brunette smirked at him. "They do it all the time! They're an old, abusive married couple!" The sounds of beating stopped. Kiba seemed to pale, but that could just be Lee's imagination.

"What did you say?" The voice sounded so sweet, yet Lee caught the undertone of a growl. Kiba stopped talking in favor of shoving half of a ham and turkey deluxe into his mouth.

"Eat." Lee spun his head to look back down at the redhead, who was now idly chewing on beef jerky he must have produced from… somewhere. He didn't even bother looking up at him with the command he sent.

Lee gave a somewhat numb nod before sitting down not too far from him, folding his legs beneath him on the hard gravel and shifting a few times before becoming comfortable. He pulled out a banana and the plastic container of red-hot spicy curry as well as the energy drink.

He bit into the banana as he watched Sakura stalk towards a now choking Kiba. Shikamaru shifted almost sleepily aside from Sakura's path and Chouji scooted to move with him.

He gave Gaara a concerned look. "Does this happen often?" He whispered the words because he was honestly afraid that fury would be turned on him.

Gaara gave him a once-over before jerking his head in what Lee would assume was a 'yes'. He tilted his head and blinked. "You are not much of a talker, are you?" Gaara chewed on his beef jerky. Lee couldn't help but smile for a reason unknown to him. He bit the banana again and swallowed, sighing happily with it. He enjoyed food, was that such a bad thing? Food was a great privilege to have!

His grandfather had been certain to drill that into his mind as he had been raised in his house…

Lee shook his head again, shaking the thought out of his mind. No! Not here! Not now! He was making friends, being himself, and being happy about it!

He shifted again and sat completely on his calves, though that did not help either.

"So, Lee." He looked up as Sakura plopped down beside him. She wore a pink Simms mini-dress with black tights reaching her knees. Pink flip flops accompanied them. She smiled warmly at him. "Where are you from?"

Lee smiled just as warmly back. "I am from the Sound district…" He smiled sheepishly. "It is better to be here, though… That school was…"

"Fucked up and twisted!" Sakura tossed a glare at the now calmly eating Naruto. Just slightly, Lee knew he saw him flinch. Despite it, Lee had to nod.

"Yes, that was actually exactly what it was." He looked at Sakura with light eyes. "In this half a day of being in this school, I have felt more safe than the two years I spent there in the middle school and my freshman year!"

Sakura made an 'oh' face. "So you're a sophomore too?" She smirked. "Awesome! So are all of us." She took a moment to rethink that. "Except Gaara and Shikamaru. They're the same age as us, but they got to skip a grade because of their IQ levels."

Lee blinked, a bit surprised at that, giving Shikamaru a gawping stare. He looked far too lazy to have skipped a grade! Then again, he did carry an air of intelligence… And Gaara…

There was a slurping sound behind him and he turned his head to study Gaara sipping out of a small apple juice pack with a tiny red straw. He gaped at the sight. A little yellow juice box with a cartoon of a smiling apple on it, and Gaara drinking from it? It was almost too comical not to laugh at but he was too shocked to do so either.

Next to him, Sakura chuckled. Gaara looked up and returned his stare easily with his own apathetic gaze. "Yeah, he always has his beef jerky and apple juice for lunch. It's a quirk of his and we got use to it a long time ago." She tilted her head. "So, how do you know Naruto? He's been here since the fifth grade."

Lee smiled indulgingly. "I knew him from kindergarten to the time he moved away. We had almost all the same classes. Sadly, though, we did not actually become friends till fourth grade." Sakura nodded again. Now Lee had a question. "Excuse me if I may ask, but… How big is this school district?"

Sakura smiled. "It's pretty big, just like the Sound district."

"Except twice as big." Kiba snickered and pounded fists with Naruto. Sakura ignored them this time.

"It used to be two districts awhile back, Suna district and the Konoha district, but then the two combined and became SunaKono district to save profit and stick to the same curriculum as well for the different classes both provided."

Lee nodded, liking the explanation. "How long ago was this?"

"Two years ago." She looked at Gaara. "He's the only one in our gang who's originally from the Suna district. The rest of us are Konoha."

"How did you know which you belonged to if they are so close together?"

"Both districts evaluate you on your intelligence, learning capacity, and on your studies throughout kindergarten to sixth grade. From kindergarten to sixth grade, it all depends on what district your parents enroll you in."

Lee looked at his finished banana. "What district do you think I would have been assigned?"

"Konoha, definitely!" Naruto smiled big at him.

Sakura smiled too. "Chyea!"

Shikamaru yawned and Chouji nodded. Kiba smirked.

Gaara… did absolutely nothing. He finished his apple juice and sat with his elbows resting on his raised knees.

He stared at Lee.

Lee was not watching him, but he just simply knew by the prickling hairs on the back of his neck.

He shifted a bit again and gulped from his energy drink.

Spontaneously, Sakura threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him close. "It's great not being the only girl anymore!" Lee felt a moment of shame and it made his cheeks red.

Naruto started laughing. Sakura glared at him. "What's so funny, Naruto?"

"Fuzzy brows' not a-" Lee had stopped breathing.

Naruto coughed a few times. Fisting a hand, he punched his chest as he was choking on something. Sakura narrowed her eyes further. "Fuzzy brows? Naruto, what's your problem? I thought you two were friends?"

"We are friends, right, fuzzy brows!" Lee sucked in a deep breath and went on auto.

"Yosh! We are friends traveling through the springtime of youth!" Complete with raised clench fist and fierce, fiery eyes.

There was a thick silence.

And then laughter. All except Gaara and Shikamaru joined in, yet even Shikamaru snorted. Gaara remained completely blank.

Lee let them have their laugh with a smile. No, he did not like being mocked. Sometimes, it was more than he could stand. However, this he liked. Even if it was not the way he liked, making others laugh made him happy!

"So, Naruto," Sakura finally manage to gasp out. "what were you going to say about Lee?"

"Oh, he's not a-" He began another coughing fit, holding a hand to his mouth. "I -uh- she! Yeah, she!" Naruto received a number of blank stares.

"Alright, Naruto, what aren't you telling us?" Sakura glared hard at him. Lee felt himself begin to tremble.

Everyone was fearless until they were given something to fear. He was given something to fear, and that was others discovering what he truly was.

"Um… Uh- Uu-uuuummmm… Nothin'!"

"She's a male." Lee went deathly pale.

The silence that fell drummed hard against his ears and scooped into his organs, freezing his heart, dropping his stomach, and stealing air from his lungs. He looked at Gaara with horror and pain.

Teal eyes met his and they were completely empty of everything and that seemed to include color. Or that could be Lee's vision graying. Either which, he had stopped breathing and swore his heart forgot to start again.

_They knew. _

_And it had not taken them at all long for them to know. Somehow, Lee should have foreseen this. Nothing ever went well._


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Four_

"How, um… Did you find out so quickly?" He sounded numb even to himself. He blinked, but he could not see any better than before. Was he honestly going to faint over this! No! That was unyouthful!

Gaara kept his numb eyes, though, and possibly that was what stopped him from slipping under. He looked so blank and uncaring, as if his own discovery did not honestly matter to him. It was better than having him trying to shame him.

"I looked up." Lee had to think about that for a long moment, mind not working well.

And then he gasped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Gaara!" He was honestly appalled! "That is unyouthful to look at another's chest without their permission!"

The silence was broken. Laughter hooted out again and Lee started swallowing hard, distracted by how dry his throat was.

And then Sakura spoke up. "Gaara, you perv!" Sakura reached around him and shoved a fist into Gaara's shoulder. The redhead did not react in the least. "You shouldn't have had your head in there in the first place!"

"Wait… What?" Lee looked around at all of them. Weren't they all supposed to be disgusted with him?

Kiba chortled and Shikamaru sighed, laying down with his head in Chouji's lap. "How troublesome." Chouji took one hand and petted his tight ponytail.

"What? Did you think we were gonna freak out or something?" Kiba smirked. "Nah, I think it's kinda cool that we have a dude friend who thinks he's a girl!"

Lee frowned. "I know I am a boy, I just…" He smoothed his shirt nervously. "I just feel best like this. As if this is my fashion style. It is comfortable and I feel…" He smiled widely at just the thought of it. "I feel great!"

Sakura smirked. "Chyea! You know girls are awesome when guys dress like us!" She pulled Lee into another hug.

Lee smiled again. A laugh bubbled up…

And then he was sobbing against her shoulder, hugging her tightly back. "Thank you, Sakura… Thank you."

Sakura rubbed his pack, letting him cry.

Kiba was freaking out in the background and so was Naruto. "Hey, Fuzzy brows, I didn't mean to let them find out, I swear! It slipped, man! I swear, I didn't mean for it!"

Kiba was all but screaming. "Hey, we weren't laughing at you, Lee, we were laughing at Gaara! We didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anythin'! Hey, if I buy you a cookie, will ya stop?"

Chouji sighed. "He's okay, guys. It's just hard to realize that everyone accepts you for who you are." Lee looked at him through teary eyes. He sounded as if he knew exactly what he was speaking of. Chouji smiled at him. "I thought I was the only gay guy in our school and there were a lot of kids who didn't like me for it." He stroked Shikamaru's hair and then tapped his nose. The lazy boy opened his mouth without opening his eyes and had a chip placed on the top of his tongue. His mouth clothes and he chewed slowly on the snack. "Then Shikamaru told me that he was tired of trying to get it through my skull that I'm his butterfly and kissed me after eight years of friendship."

Lee blinked. Then he smiled. "I think you two are adorable together…" The lazy boy's nose was tapped again and he opened his trap as if on order. A chip was placed on the flat of his tongue and he began chewing without haste. Lee chuckled a little. "And you two know each other so well!"

Chouji giggled. "Yeah, we've been together for a pretty long time."

"I stick with these idiots because I don't even want to know what they would do without me." Lee looked back up at Sakura, who was still hugging him back. She winked at him.

Lee couldn't help but a laugh a little through his tears. "That does sound disastrous, Sakura."

"That's because it would be." She let him hold onto her and Lee instantly thought that if he were that way inclined, he would have loved her forever and a day with his entire heart.

Since not, Lee only hugged her tighter.

"Hey, whatta 'bout me? Where's my introduction?" Lee looked at Kiba.

"Tell me then, please?" Lee wiped at his tears, smiling sweetly at Kiba. Kiba all about glowed underneath the attention.

"I'm with these loony's because of that idiot!" He jerked a thumb at Naruto.

"Yeah- HEY!" Naruto dove at Kiba. "You asshole!" Naruto landed on top of Kiba and began wrestling with the laughing teen.

Lee felt far too peaceful to do anything but smile at the spectacle. After a few moments, though, he turned his head around to look at the redhead still raising the hairs on the back of Lee's neck with how focused his stare was. "And you, Gaara?"

The redhead cocked his head towards him. "I have a bipolar disorder and insomnia." Lee blinked.

When he looked over the whole group again (yes, Naruto was still trying to kill Kiba and vice versa), it was with awe. "I think… I have come home…" In almost disbelief, he looked up at Sakura. "I can stay?"

Sakura grinned. "Chyea! I need someone else wearing a skirt to keep these boys in line!"

Lee flushed just slightly. "I do not always wear a skirt…"

Sakura shrugged. "Well, it suits me just fine that you're another person wearing girl clothes. It's not like anyone else knows the difference when you're walking down the hall."

Chouji frowned. "Hey, Lee, now that we know… Are you going to let the school know?"

Lee paled. Choked. Began to shake.

That had been what Tenten had said… Not ten days before she had walked up to Lee and told him that they couldn't be friends anymore because she couldn't stand the pressure.

She had been his last friend and even she had abandoned him in the end.

Naruto snorted, now more bruised and bloody than he had been. "Did I say our last school was fucked up and twisted? I meant to say it was hell on earth! No way after cross dressing there is Lee going to publicly go out and say 'Hey! I'm a boy wearing girl clothes!'. I bet Neji gave him hell, didn't he, fuzzy brows?"

Lee gulped, shivered, tried to hide his pain and smile. He forced a small laugh and his body to stop displaying his fear aloud. "Yes, Neji was most certainly not happy with realizing that one of his friends was a freak of nature." He tried to make it sound like a joke, as if it didn't matter. His voice trembled and he wanted to hit himself over the head.

Instead, Sakura did so for him. "You idiot." She sighed out, sounding irritated. "If he was your friend and he said that, than he wasn't your friend!"

"Yeah, but I'm sure Tenten stuck with you to the end, didn't she!" He smiled, as if he was positive of it. Lee could not look at him. Naruto's smile turned into a frown. "Right? I mean, you two were friends since third grade!"

Lee smiled sadly. "She was the last to stand with me, but it was just too much pressure for her. She never harmed me in anyway, but she could no longer fight with me either."

Naruto clenched his fists and glared at the rooftop.

Chouji was pale as he tapped Shikamaru's nose and fed the lazy boy another chip. Shikamaru had not even opened his eyes since the conversation had begun. "I can't imagine life without Shikamaru there…"

Shikamaru snorted. "It's too bothersome to think about it. In order to break up with you, I would have had to go through the water works and then I would have had to do whatever the hell people who have just broken up would do and go through the process of ignoring you and your family and it's just too troublesome. Not too mention the number of people who would hunt me down and attempt to kill me for breaking your heart and they have a 75 percent chance of succeeding."

Lee couldn't help but smile. It sounded as if Shikamaru was stating that he was far too lazy to break up, but Lee was pretty certain that he was also just too lazy to admit that he loved the boy so much.

"_You should make them pay._" Lee spun his head towards Gaara, shocked by the deepened, mocking voice. The redhead smirked at him, eyes more a golden than an aquamarine. "_Rip them apart, tear them, make them cry until they realize that they should have loved you._"

Naruto groaned. "Gaara's gone Shukaku again!"

Lee blinked, tilting his head toward Naruto. "Shukaku?"

"His 'other' self when he goes polar." Kiba drawled.

'Shukaku' cackled. "_They won't bother with you if you make them bleed. If you make them bleed, you don't have to deal with them._"

Lee gave him a worried look. "No, thank you, but I will… keep that in mind…?"

'Shukaku' nearly purred. "_When they scream, make them scream your name because than they will never forget the pain you caused them. Make them bleed, suffer, __**beg**__._"

Naruto flew out of absolutely nowhere and slammed his fist into 'Shukaku's' face, hitting him so hard his head jerked to the side and his shoulder cracked into the ground. Lee gaped. "What was that one for?" Yes, they were all awesome he now knew, but they were all so abusive!

Naruto swiped his hands against each other and 'Shukaku' slowly sat up again. When he looked at Lee, his eyes were completely aquamarine again, if not duller in color and much more tired. "We have to do that to make him stop being Shukaku. Otherwise, he gets _really_ weird."

Gaara licked at the trickle of blood that came from the corner of his mouth. Lee all but glared at Naruto. "You did not have to hit him so hard, did you?" He nearly growled the words and Naruto cowered. Fear of women had been (literally) beaten into him by Sakura. Even if Lee wasn't a girl, he _looked_ like one!

"Well, ummm… Yeah, I think so!… Well, it's better to be safe than sorry!" Gaara rubbed the rest of the blood off on his wrist. He had bitten his tongue.

Lee scooted away from Sakura and closer to Gaara. "What is it that sets off… 'Shukaku' so I know what not to do." He folded his hands on his lap and fixated his entire attention on Gaara, determined to memorize whatever words were to leave his mouth.

Gaara cocked his head. "Don't bother." Lee tilted his own to meet Gaara's angle.

"I will bother because this is important to you and if I am to be a friend in this group, than I want to know everything!" He refused to release Gaara's fleeting glance. "I would say that I would ask everyone else, but I want to know from you because only you know yourself completely!"

There was a chuckle from Naruto. Lee couldn't look at him, so he perked his ears to his words. "Yeah, fuzzy brows, you'll fit right in!" Lee felt a warm glow go through him at the words. He smiled even though he still had Gaara's eyes captured, a confusing matter for Gaara he was certain since the redhead narrowed his own.

He fitted in!


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Five_

Lee all but skipped to sixth period, now replenished on spicy curry, a banana, and his energy drink as well as dear friends!

He swung his books merrily at his side and was on his third baby rhyme humming beneath his breath when he entered accelerated biology.

He had just thought his day could not get any better but he was proven wrong when he saw Kiba in the third row, first table (there were five rows entirely and four tables per row)! Kiba spotted him at almost the same moment. He waved furiously as if it would be impossible for Lee to see him any other way.

"Hey, Lee! Over here!" Lee was giddy with joy as he dashed to the table and nearly slid pass it if not for him grabbing onto the glossy black spread and pulling himself to it. He sat down with a plop and they smiled at each other.

"This is great! I thought I was gonna have to suffer alone this year, but this is fuckin' awesome!" He raised a fist and Lee pounded it.

"This is wonderful indeed, Kiba!" He folded his arms over the table and flashed brilliantly white teeth. The ends of his braid brushed the lab desk surface over his right shoulder.

As they chatted, the room began filling up. As it turned out, there were only 10 other students. The school, as Kiba explained with a leer, was not exceptionally large. It made great for getting to know everyone.

And, as it turned out, there were three girls who entered that were not exceptionally kind.

They took one look at Kiba and Lee and began sneering, whispering behind their hands as they walked to their desks and sat down in their jean mini-skirts and color coded tube tops.

One girl turned to Lee, glaring. "Why are you hanging out with dog boy?"

Lee stopped laughing with Kiba to blink and look at the girl. "Who?" Next to him, Kiba sneered back at them.

"Me, that's who." He smirked at the girls. "What? You got a problem with me having a girl friend?" Lee looked back at the girls, curious about the same thing. What was wrong with having friends that were girls when you were a boy?… Then again, he was not actually a girl, but they did not know that.

They all went 'ew' as if it was something they rehearsed day after day. "She's your _girlfriend_?" She glared at Lee. "Have you no standards?"

Lee frowned. "What do you-" His eyes widened and he had a sudden realization. The girls had not been able to discern between 'girl friend' and 'girlfriend'. Amazing, what a play on words could do to change an entire meaning. "Oh no! We are friends, but we are not dating!"

They all seemed to have a collective sigh of relief. "Good. Because I have a friend who would like to go out with you and I told him I'd be the in-between." Lee frowned at her.

"I do not even know you." Lee admitted. Kiba leaned in close to his ear.

"The one talking to you is Ino" She wore a yellow tube top with a yellow jean jacket that reached her wrists in sleeves but just only flirted with the bottom of her breasts in actual length. Her skirt, however, was blue to match her devious blue eyes. Her hair was a true yellow color.

"and that's Matsuri" She wore a mini-blue jean skirt as well, but her jean, short jacket was a flattering brown as was her tube top and it matched both her hair and her eyes.

"and that's Hinata." Hinata had hunched into herself the moment the two other girls had begun speaking bad. Her hair was long, nearly to her waist, in a dark, dark lavender color. Her tube top was a light turnip purple and the jacket over it was actually modestly lengthened and buttoned up, a violet tone. She wore the blue jean skirt, but she wore dark purple tights underneath them that went to her knees. Her eyes were down cast and Lee could not see what color they were, but he was certain they would be a shade of purple as well, despite the rarity of it.

Lee smiled at Hinata, who looked so very ashamed as she turned her head slightly towards them. Her head ducked forward and her long fall of hair hid even her shoulder from view.

"Aaaahhh… Thank you, Kiba." He smiled at his friend.

Ino chewed her gum and blew it into a bubble. It popped a moment later and she produced a small slip of paper between her middle and pointer finger, holding it out to Lee. "You'll want to accept."

Lee looked at the small folded piece of paper. Then at Ino. "I am sorry, but I will not accept." He pushed Ino's hand back to her. "I am not looking for a relationship."

Yet there was a thrill down his spine. Someone thought him cute enough as a girl to ask him out?

Despite that, Lee knew better. He was not interested with any boy that would not ask him out themselves! And besides… He just was not interested.

She focused on Hinata again. "Do I know you from somewhere?" She looked so familiar…

Hinata took a moment before looking up. Lee felt color drain from him for the second time that day as he saw lilac eyes…

Lilac eyes that had once belonged to his once dear friend, Neji Hyuuga. Lilac eyes which were hereditary in the Hyuuga bloodline.

Lee swallowed. And if she was related to Neji, than she knew… Hinata's eyes widened as she figured out who _he_ was.

Lee expected disgust, as per usual. He expected a sick sense of pride to enter her eyes as she declared loudly his actual sex. Instead, she looked down again and nibbled on her bottom lip. "Maybe…" Her voice was meek and low, almost breathy with how softly she spoke. "But I don't think so…" She bumped her pointer fingers together in a nervy fashion.

Tension melted from his shoulders and he welcomed Hinata with a glowing beam. "Perhaps we could get to know each other…?" Friend! Friend! Friend!

Hinata snapped her eyes up to his. Ino snorted and Matsuri frowned hard. "Come on, Hinata. We don't have to sit near them."

"Hinata." Lee spoke softly. He felt as if he were speaking to a timid fawn! One wrong tone and Hinata would go to where she felt safest… And that would be with Ino and Matsuri. One look at her and Lee knew she did not belong with them. "Would you please sit with us? I did not know there were three seats to a desk… At my old school, there were only two!" Perhaps it was a joke or perhaps just a way to try and make Hinata comfortable.

Kiba snorted near his ear. "Don't bother, Lee. We've tried. She's their pet!" Lee turned a dark frown onto him before smiling gently at the now very uncertain Hinata.

"Would you? Please?"

"Hinata…. Come on!" Ino placed an impatient hand on her wrist and glared down at Hinata. Matsuri crossed her arms over her chest and waited. Hinata bit into her bottom lip and went to stand up and walk with them.

Lee stared so sadly at her… she must have felt it. She pursed her lips and walked somewhat trembling to the seat next to Kiba. "Go on without me… I'll be here."

Lee felt as if an angle had smiled upon him. "Thank you, Hinata."

"Hinata!" Ino was aghast and Matsuri appalled. Hinata looked ready to stand again and follow them.

Lee reached out and put a hand to Hinata's shoulder, patting comradely. "You are very brave, Hinata."

Kiba smirked at Hinata. "Yeah, I didn't think you had the guts!" Lee frowned at him. That was not actually that supportive… was it?

"Ooooooohhhh…" Ino clenched her fists at her side before storming off, Matsuri all that followed. "Listen, dog boy and brow girl," She looked at them with hateful blue eyes. "You just made an enemy of me."

The two took seats at the back of the room and Lee settled contently into his chair, speaking quietly with Hinata around Kiba who butted in with his own words.

By the end of science, Hinata was not only meeting their eyes, she was laughing. Lee acknowledged that he had never having heard a sweeter sound.

Ino and Matsuri glared heatedly at their backs the whole way.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Six_

As it turned out, _all_ of the gang had tried to converge Hinata to their group. Even Gaara had put in an effort at one point. The fact that Lee had not even used an argument and had only asked and Hinata had came made it a… curious affair.

It was lunch the next day after having Hinata walk out of science with them and everyone was asking questions of both Lee and Hinata. Some even for Kiba since he was there.

"How'd you do it?" Naruto asked Lee, dumbfounded.

"She didn't even _try_?" Sakura said in disbelief in reply to Kiba's version of the story which was mostly true except for him telling Ino and Matsuri to go 'suck an egg'.

"How come you finally decided to join, Hinata?" Chouji tapped Shikamaru's nose and fed him a chip, though his entire attention was on Hinata. She bumped her pointer fingers together in that nervy fashion of hers.

"How do you two know each other?" Lee looked at Gaara who continued eating his beef jerky as if nothing in the world bothered him. Today, he wore punk bondage pants and a black wife beater over a mesh long-sleeved shirt.

Lee smiled at him. "Well, we do not actually know each other… But I used to know her cousin and we saw each other upon occasion." Hinata nodded, biting her lip.

A light went off in Naruto's mind. "Wait… so that means she knows?" He scratched his head. Yeah, he had known Neji, but he hadn't known that Neji had a cousin! After all, he'd only known Neji in school and if Hinata went to Sunakono, then… Well, they'd never met!

Lee nodded, his eyes soft on Hinata. "Yes, she knows." He chuckled. "You look so cute as yourself!"

Something no one had known because Hinata had been following Ino and Matsuri, she didn't actually _like_ jean materials. Now she wore an extra large French kiss jacket with a hood, shaded two different shades of purple that rested against her thighs even while sitting down. With them, she wore black tights that went to her ankles and violet slippers.

There was a healthy blush on her cheeks when she looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eyes and Lee met Sakura's eyes.

Again, a girl knew… He was feminine enough to understand that.

"Yeah, but why'd you go with her and never us?" Kiba asked curiously.

Hinata looked at Kiba instead of Naruto. "Because…" She looked away and did not seem to know what to say for a few minutes. Silence waited for her to speak. "I think because… Even when everyone hated him, he wouldn't stop being who he was…" Her soft, meek admission made Lee happy and proud… as well as a little ashamed.

"Well, it was not exactly like that, Hinata. You did not go to our school so I do not think you understand…" She shook her head and smiled at him now.

"I know, but… Neji never stops talking about it. He couldn't believe that you would rather move away instead of put on men clothing." Lee blinked.

"Wait a moment… He is _still_ talking about it?" Hinata nodded, rather fretfully.

"He's… He's not happy with you… at all." She twiddled her thumbs.

Naruto snorted. "So what? He can whine all he wants, but fuzzy brows' with us now and he can be however the hell he wants!" He smiled widely at Hinata. "And so can you!"

Hinata looked on the verge of fainting with how red her face became. "Th-thank you, Naruto!" Sakura hugged her just like she had hugged Lee the day before.

"Chyea! You be yourself and we'll all be happy!" Lee hugged them both.

"Yosh!" Hinata snuggled between them, her shoulders pressing into Lee's chest and her head tucked into Sakura's shoulder. Lee smiled teasingly over her head. "Now you have your girl friend, Sakura." Sakura smirked.

"No, now I have a girl friend and a friend who looks enough of a girl to be a girl friend. So now I have two other girls to help me kick their asses back into place." She winked.

Gaara slurped his apple juice without seeming to care for the conversation and Naruto chattered with Kiba. Shikamaru began snoring and Chouji seemed to have fallen asleep with a chip half in/half out of his mouth, leaning over the lazy boy. Sakura and Hinata began talking and Lee scooted away, shimmying closer to the apple-juice slurping redhead.

"You have yet to tell me what to or not to do to set off… 'Shukaku'." Gaara looked at him.

"Don't piss me off." He could not have sounded more apathetic if he had tried, Lee was certain.

"… Is that all?" He stared earnestly at Gaara.

"Don't let me fall asleep." He was too honest to laugh at. Lee nodded, already repeating the two rules in his head time and time again to memorize them.

"How does someone make you angry?"

"by being selfish, fearful, or ignorant." Lee made an 'oh' face.

"Is that why you went 'Shukaku' yesterday? You got angry because I made it sound as if my old friends were fearful?" Gaara shook his head.

"Because your old friends were all of the above." He gave Lee such a hard look, he was reminded of how he had felt last period. As if Gaara had not looked at him once, but had never stopped looking _through_ him to where all his secrets rested. "Every one being deserves love and any being denied that gift is a pitiful being to be." In the air, Lee swore he heard 'just like me', and yet Gaara's mouth never moved to form the words.

He sat up, wrapping his arms around Gaara's shoulders and holding. "I believe that entirely, Gaara. But I disagree with them being a pitiful being if they are not loved. They are deprived. And I believe also, with the all of my heart, that every heart shall always find love if only they remain open…" He smiled teasingly down at the wide-eyed redhead. "Or unless love is far too stubborn to let that heart be until it becomes exasperated and opens up!"

"Yeah!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air, making Lee remember that they were not the only two on the roof. He felt himself flush. "You said it, fuzzy brows!" Lee's arms squeezed Gaara and he swallowed hard.

Amazingly enough, Gaara leaned into his chest and sighed. No one else knew, though. Lee smiled down at his head of red. This was going to be a beautiful friendship!


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Seven_

Lee chattered quietly with Chouji and Sakura, sitting in eighth period. He had decided to take two gyms, so Monday through Wednesday, he had gym eighth period and Thursday through Friday (today being Thursday because school had started on Wednesday), he had gym fourth period. As it turned out, both Chouji and Sakura both had eighth period study hall as well but for different classes.

He laughed softly at what Chouji had to say about their lazy, perverted teacher who was reading a small porn book at the desk, not even pretending to pay attention to them all. He knew in the back of his mind that that was mean to do, but he could not stop himself. Chouji was a very good impressionist! Even Sakura thought so!

There was an impatient tapping at the small glass window on the door. All three looked over and Naruto was all but slapping himself with how hard he was gesturing for them to 'get up and get out!'.

Lee frowned at Sakura who grimaced at Chouji who swallowed thickly around his chewed chips. Sakura raised a hand. "Mr. Hatake, could we please go to the library?" He took out a piece of paper and scrawled on it without peeking at what he wrote once. When done, he put the pencil down and waved dismissively at them.

Sakura grabbed the note and they all sprinted out of the room. Around the corner near Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Hinata were already waiting. Chouji went to Shikamaru and tapped his nose. The lazy boy opened his mouth and accepted the offered chip and sighed. "Alright, Naruto, we're all here."

"Yeah, what'd you want to talk about?" Kiba balanced his hands on his hips.

"Gaara got in a fight last period with Sasuke! He went Shukaku when Sasuke made him bleed and sent him through a wall and now I can't find Gaara anywhere!" He nearly screamed and two doors opened. Both with grumpy teachers.

"All of you, get to class!" One shouted.

"If you all keep screaming, I'll write you all up." The other shut the door behind herself but the first gave them a nasty glare and kept hers open.

The group shuffled down the hall before stopping again. "How do we split up? He wouldn't have gone far." Sakura looked worried despite that.

"You and Hinata take the music hall and the next building over. Shikamaru and Chouji, check the upstairs! Kiba and I'll get the A and B wing. Fuzzy brows!" He pointed sharply at him. "You check everywhere else!"

"Yosh!" Lee blinked. "What is everthing else?"

"The gyms, the cafeteria, the downstairs, everywhere we're not checking!" He slammed a hand down in front of them all. "Ready?"

"Wait!" Everyone looked at Lee. "What do we do if we find him?"

"Let's meet back up at the roof in ten minutes, whether we have found him or not." Everyone nodded to Sakura.

"Ready?" Everyone put a hand over Naruto's. "Go!" They all ran in the directions assigned to them.

Sakura and Hinata were hopeless in the music hall; what classes weren't in session, a teacher admitted to not having seen Gaara. In the next building over, where other classes are held such as outdoor classes like automobile repair, horticulture, makeup, and classes in nursing were held. Nothing.

Shikamaru and Chouji were worse off. Off way down the hall, a teacher gave them both a pink slip and ordered them to return to the principle's office. Shikamaru had to have an 'intellectual conversation of wits' with him before the teacher was so confused, he forgot about the pink slip he was just about to hand them. That wasted half their time before they were able to check all the rooms through the windows and then get to the roof. Nada.

Kiba and Naruto were both ready to murder each other and everyone else who came along by the time they checked the two wings assigned to them. What classes there were, Gaara was found in none and most of the teachers were damn well certain of the fact that they were skipping for no apparent reason… again. One teacher nearly screamed at them to get back to class or get written up. Despite it all, there was not even a sign that Gaara had ever been there.

Lee was on his way to the auxiliary gym, where all the exercise equipment was kept. He opened the door, squinting his eyes in the dark of the room. Unoccupied.

Or so he _thought_. Until he heard deep, ragged breathing.

He stared into the darkness, trying to make out a shape aside from the glisten of the equipment and the red of- RED! Gaara! "Gaara!" He ran towards the crouching teen, kneeling down to put himself at eye level with him. He smiled, relieved. "Gaara, we have been looking everywhere for you. Are you alright-"

His head cracked off of the ground and he blinked dazedly as he looked up, his mind not quick enough at the moment to understand the change of events. Gaara glared down at him. No, not Gaara… Gaara did not have golden eyes.

"'Shukaku'…" Golden eyes were cruel on him as were his hands as he squeezed his wrists and pushed them harder to the ground. He smirked down at Lee and his tongue flickered over his upper lip.

"_And this fly I have caught in my web shall nurture my thirst for this fly shall die slowly as it feels my utmost desire devour its blood, life, and soul._" Lee swallowed hard.

"You may be Shukaku, but I am Lee. And because I am Lee, I am Gaara's friend! I do not want to hurt you, but I will if I have to!" His eyes showed with fierce will.

"_I would like to see you try, my captured fly… But I am a hungry spider and you will be smart to be quick." _Lee choked as hips pushed against him. His eyes widened and he felt his heart stutter.

Gaara's bipolar personality… was going to _rape_ him? He gritted his teeth. _No_ he was _not_!

And then 'Shukaku' ducked his head and bit down on Lee's bottom lip, hard enough that Lee felt the skin break and tasted blood. Lee forced his face to the side, growling at him.

He pushed his legs up, focusing on the muscles there until 'Shukaku' was balanced mostly on his body. Stretching his back muscles, he tossed his lower body over his shoulder, thus tossing 'Shukaku' over his body. In the process, he landed on top of 'Shukaku'. He huffed down at the snarling redhead.

"No. You will not use Gaara's body to harm me." He pulled back a hand, fisting it. "Forgive me, Gaara." He stroke.

Not Lee, but 'Shukaku'. Like a cobra. He rose his upper torso faster than Lee could blink, crashing lips together and biting down hard on Lee's tongue. "_Fly in my net, you are mine to gorge upon." _Lee's fist hit his face that moment too late.

His eyes were wide and he was uncertain to pale or blush. His lip and tongue were bleeding and bruises were forming on his wrists. Gaara looked slowly back to him, teal eyes blinked slowly and it seemed as if he were just waking up.

And then they widened and Lee saw the minute flash of panic in his eyes. "Lee?" He sat up fully now and Lee tilted back in his lap. Teal eyes were focused on Lee's lips. "Lee?" Calmer this time, hidden behind his camouflage of uncaring.

Lee ignored both calls, stealing a napkin from the pocket of his Casting green vest, wiping it over Gaara's temple. That must have been where the blood Naruto had been talking about came from. "There you are, Gaara…" He hugged the redhead. "It is so good to see you again."

There was a long moment where he could honestly say that he saw Gaara shut down. All emotion died and he became nothing more than a still body as Lee held him. "You… are an idiot." Gaara leaned against him. Lee tickled the side of his face with the end of his braid, a habit he had found comforting to his uncle so he assumed it would work on the redhead as well. Clearly, though he hid it now, Gaara was upset by his loss of control. He needed the comfort.

He did not object, so Lee continued on without interruption for two minutes… far too long. Because it had taken eight minutes to find Gaara and it would have taken another three to get to the roof.

Lee snapped back to awareness with this thought. He all but jumped from Gaara's lap, grabbing one of his hands and pulling hard. "Come on, Gaara! We have to get to the roof!"

He charged them down a number of hallways and up a few stairways, never stopping. Never letting go of Gaara.

They made it to the roof in two minutes, Gaara panting slightly as he put his hands to his knees and Lee mostly fine aside from a thundering heart, but that had little to do with the run. A fair number of eyes turned onto them.

And then focused on Lee.

He felt oddly bare beneath their scrutiny. And then horror was turned onto Gaara. "Gaara, what did you do?"

"Gaara, what the hell?"

"Gaara, how far did you get!"

Lee frowned, looking between each of them, the hand he still held, and then Gaara's eyes. He looked back at all of them. "It does not matter, does it? He is back, we are well, and we are all together!" He smiled widely. "True?"

"Lee… Let me clean that for you." Sakura pulled out a pink handkerchief and wiped Lee's lower lip, green eyes narrowed in concern. Lee allowed the attention, eyes warm on her.

"Thankh fou Sakhura." He mumbled around the care.

"Lee… You've brought him back now, you can let go." Sakura whispered close to his ear. Lee blinked and looked down.

He still held Gaara's hand. And Gaara had yet to say anything of it.

He went to let go, almost apologizing, but fingers tightened around his palm and he stopped. "No, Sakura… I do not think I will let go yet." He covered easily for Gaara.

Still, the redhead said and did nothing.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Eight_

"Lee, what happened to your lip?" Lee froze at his uncle's furiously horrified voice, taking two slow steps back to view the man in the living room he had just silently attempted to slip by without notice.

"Well, you see, Uncle Gai, I had to help a friend today and it… got out of control…" He pulled on the sleeve of the green kimono tank tee under his vest, trying to pull over his wrists. He smiled charmingly, trying to distract his uncle. "How was your day?"

His uncle focused on his wrists as if he just _knew_. Or as if Lee had made it obvious.

His mouth gaped. "Lee! What happened!" His uncle leaped to his feet and was examining his wrist from not two inches from his nose before Lee could blink.

He tried a better way to explain. "I am sorry, Uncle Gai, I was trying to help my friend and I put myself somewhat in danger- but that is okay! You see, I was not in danger for long because it all went back to normal and there is nothing to fear, Uncle Gai!" He smiled winningly.

His uncle all but glared at him. "Lee! This is a serious matter! Someone has harmed you!" Now he blinked and seemed to think beyond Lee being hurt to _why_ Lee had been hurt. "Lee! Why did this happen!" He held Lee's shoulder and looked down at his nephew with teary eyes.

Lee's smile faltered against the undefeatable baby pout. "Uncle Gai, sir!" He hugged the older man. "It is alright, it was a friend of mine who needed help-"

"What could a friend possibly need help with that could lead to a bitten lip, bruised wrists and-" His uncle grabbed his chin and pulled it open to understand why Lee's language was thicker than usual. "a bitten tongue! Lee, I do not think whoever did this to you was a friend-…" A light dawned in his eyes and Lee blinked. "unless that friend was more than a friend!" His uncle dropped his arms and encompassed Lee, dragging him into a tight bear hug that made Lee struggle to breathe for a moment before returning it. "Lee! I am so proud of you! Tell me, what is his name? Is he good for you? Is he good to you! THE FIRE OF YOUTH MUST HAVE BURNED STRONG FOR YOUNG LOVE TO BLOOM IN TWO DAYS!" His uncle cried into Lee's shoulder. "I SHALL MEET THIS MAN WHO HAS CAPTURED MY NEPHEWS HEART!"

Lee tried to explain. "Uncle Gai, he is not my-"

"Invite him to dinner tomorrow!"

"What?" Lee stared at his uncle as if he had grown another head. Of course he would love to invite all of his friends over, but not under false titles! If Gaara came over and realized that his uncle thought that they were a couple…

Lee had no idea what he would do, but it would be most likely nothing or possibly explaining in a dead tone in three or four words that basically said 'We're not a couple'.

"Uncle Gai, you are mistaken, he is not my-"

"Lee! How ever could you say that your uncle is ever mistaken?" His uncle was truly offended. "If he is not your boyfriend, than how did these-" He gestured to Lee's mouth and wrists with a hand and his eyes. "have gotten here?"

Lee's mouth opened and shut a few times as he tried to explain it. He had not told his uncle yet that Gaara was bipolar or that Hinata had a low enough self-esteem to make anyone cry for her or Shikamaru and Chouji being a couple or even Sakura hitting anyone in the gang who put a toe out of line… They were facts of the gang life that were not his to share!… Though the Sakura beating others was mostly not shared because that would excite his uncle into wanting to have a stretch on hours 'chat' with her on the ins and outs of fighting and the youth of spring.

Lee could listen to the speech all day, but he had come to an understanding that not everyone else _would_.

He sighed, ,finally, after three minutes of his uncle's unrelenting stare and no answer. "I am sorry, uncle Gai… I will tell you later, I swear! However, this includes someone else's secret and I do not kn-"

"Ah!" His uncle bear hugged him again, squeezing all oxygen from his lungs. "You are such a honest, loyal friend, my sweet nephew! Yosh! I shall wait until you have permission to tell this secret before I rush to judgment on this hooligans butt!" He patted Lee's shoulder and _walked_ _away_.

Lee smiled at his back. He did love his uncle… So very, very much.

Now he touched his bottom lip, wincing at the small throbbing pain increased with irritation. And then his finger stroked both lips and he stared wide eyed at the ground in sudden realization. His… His first kiss! Gaara -no, _Shukaku_- had taken his first kiss!


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Nine_

There was a number of uncomfortable questions to answer and Lee was uncertain whether or not to answer or ignore them all.

"_What happened to your lip?" "What happened to your hands!" "Were you raped?" "Did someone hurt you?" "Are you okay?" _

The questions never stopped. It was all he could do to not start screaming. Coming out of gym fourth period, he was uncertain whether to be relieved or uncertain. Now, he would have his class with Gaara…

Was he feeling better than yesterday? He had become awfully… something in the last half hour they had been on the roof, even after the bell had rang and everyone else aside from the gang had begun home. More quiet? More still? More… intent on staring a hole through the back of Lee's neck?

He decided he was going to be uncertain on the grounds that he was, but he made sure to hide it well. His smile sparkled as he flounced to his desk in front of Gaara who watched him the whole way. "Hello, Gaara! How has your morning been?" He waited with interest for what he had to say.

He said nothing. Just as he had said nothing fifth period yesterday. Three days into the school year and Lee was almost certain that he understood the quirks of Gaara.

He just widened his smile, at least proud of the fact that he had Gaara's attention while he spoke to him. Except then Gaara focused on his lips and danced his eyes away towards the window that showed a tree just outside.

Lee frowned. "Gaara…" He tilted his head toward the direction the redhead was looking in. "Please do not do that." Gaara slid his eyes to look at him, but Lee saw a question there instead of a consent. Lee didn't have a good enough answer, so he just smiled again. If he knew how soft it looked or how warm his eyes were because Gaara had listened to him, he did not let on. "Thank you, Gaara."

He went to turn around and remembered the… 'conversation' he had had with his uncle last night. He nearly paled. Turning back to Gaara, he focused on everything except him. "Gaara… Is it alright that I tell my uncle about your being bipolar? He does not quite understand how this could have happened unless -um… He assumed things and I would like to clear them up." Gaara cocked his head and Lee took that as a 'yes'. He was so relieved, he leaned over his chair and Gaara's desk just to hug the redhead. "Thank you, Gaara! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Lee! I won't allow PDA in the halls, I won't allow it in the classroom!" The snarling voice made Lee whip around and sit back down, staring at the teacher with wide eyes who was glaring back at him. "They don't pay me enough to teach you-" The next word was whispered but Lee just barely caught it. His face flushed and he gaped at the teacher. Why! He'd never…

The class erupted into giggles and some kids grimaced at the teacher as if this had happened to them as well.

"Now!" The teacher barked. "Shall we continue with class?" No one said a word so he went to the board and begun writing down notes.

When he was done, he gave both Lee and Gaara a nasty enough look that Lee flushed again. He peeked behind himself to see Gaara's reaction. Absolutely nothing unless one counted him returning the teacher's glare with a calm, level stare.

Class went on without a hitch.

When the bell rang again, letting them all know it was time to leave, Mr. Tatami was merciful and only took one minute away from them before sending them off with a scowl.

Lee gathered his things and tugged at one orange leg warmer back up to the knee of his skinny jeans. He straightened his green zip back shirt that was loose on his chest and flared at the hips and walked happily with Gaara upstairs. He chattered on the way and Gaara did nothing to stop him or say anything in turn.

They stopped at Lee's locker first before continuing on, Lee swinging his lunch between them. "Why do you not talk much, Gaara?" Lee finally asked, looked hopefully at the redhead as they ascended the last flight of stairs. Gaara looked at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"There is nothing to talk about." And that was simply it. The descended into silence as Lee digested that for a few moments. Even as they walked onto the roof where everyone was already chatting it up, Lee continued the conversation.

"What if we found a topic on which you could talk about?" Gaara gave him a look that said 'I would not talk on it long'. Lee hummed as he thought on that too.

"Whoa, fuzzy brows! You must've had a pretty rough day!" Naruto was staring at his lip and Lee sighed. "I bet everyone was asking what happened to you!" Lee nodded.

"Yes, but I managed to get by most without having to explain." How would one explain to so many students that it had just been an accident caused by a friend's polar identity? No, not even Lee believed that would have gone over well.

"And the ones you couldn't get by?" Kiba stared at her from around the Salisbury steak sandwich he had stuffed in his face. Lee groaned as he sat down between Gaara and the gang, Gaara sitting down five feet from everyone else who all gave each other a fair enough space. They had the whole roof, after all. There was no reason to crowd each other.

"I do not know, Kiba, I do not know…" Actually, that was the truth. He had mumbled something and possibly stuttered a bit (he was a terrible liar) to the ones too curious to be turned away, but he could not remember what he had said to them.

He took out his plastic container of curry and began gobbling it down. It was still hot! As well as extremely spicy. He nearly purred with the joy it brought him.

"Hey, fuzzy brows… What is that, anyway?" Lee stopped with his spoon halfway to his mouth. He blinked before a grin exploded across his face.

"This is the most wonderful food on the face of the earth, Naruto! This is the spicy Curry of Life!" He bit down on the spoon and _did_ purr.

"Hey, can I try some?" Lee all but handed the container to Naruto. He wiped his spoon off on his shirt before handing that over as well. Naruto studied the boiling mess for a long moment before scooping up a spoonful and dumping it in his mouth.

There was a moment in time where no one noticed how red Naruto got because they were all holding their own conversations except Gaara who watched on without emotion. "HOLY FUCKING SHIT! WATER! WATER! WAAAATTTTEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!" he leaped at Sakura who was coincidentally holding a bottle of water and chugged it down within seconds before gasping, looking with glazed eyes everywhere. "NEED MORE WATER!" Hinata handed over hers. Naruto gulped it down and handed the container back to her, still gasping but looking a little cooler in temperature.

Lee watched this with blinking curiosity. "… Naruto?"

"Holy shit, are you trying to kill yourself eating that!" The blonde stared at him as if he were clinically insane. Lee frowned.

"No. Why would I do that?" Kiba leaped up.

"Hey, can I try?" He smirked at Naruto. "I want to show Naruto how a man takes it!" He grabbed the waistband of his pants and pulled up in a 'manly' fashion. Lee handed over the curry. He took a bite.

Much the same reaction except Kiba did not stop cursing and half of them made Lee gawp. Naruto snickered. "Yeah, what a man, Kiba."

Sakura sighed and stood up. "Come on, Lee. Let me try some and I'll show them what wusses they are." Lee did so. She took a bite.

She choked, turned red, gasped dryly, forced the curry back into Lee's hands and _gagged_. When both Naruto and Kiba started laughing, she glared hard at them through teary eyes.

Lee ate a bite of his curry to see if something was wrong with it. Chewing slowly, it tasted no different -though still wonderfully good- than before. All three watched him with gaping mouths.

Chouji grinned. "Maybe it takes a fluffy dude to try?" He reached out for someone to hand him the curry, Shikamaru snoring in his lap. Lee handed it to Sakura who handed it off quickly to Naruto who gave it to Kiba who handed it to Chouji as if it were toxic, complete with a life-fearing grimace and holding it out at arm's length.

Chouji took a bite. Chewed slowly for a moment. And then began sweating immensely, gasping in air like a fish on land as he wiped at his brow. Looking down at Shikamaru, he tapped his nose. Shikamaru, even in sleep, opened his mouth.

The moment the curry touched his tongue, he sat bolt right up and grabbed his chest, gagging as if someone had just tried to stab him and spitting the curry onto the ground.

Lee pouted. What a waste of good curry.

Chouji handed the curry to a uncertain Hinata who poked at it for awhile before looking up at Naruto's hopeful face and taking a bite. Her face turned red, she nearly dropped the curry as she tried to rip at her neck with her own nails, and then her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She fainted.

Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura ran to her, shaking her carefully and shouting her name. Lee was absolutely flabbergasted.

The curry was handed back to Lee with a sort of respect. Lee chewed and swallowed without any problem and all stared at him with delirious disbelief.

Lee turned to Gaara who had watched all of this but now met his stare. "Would you like to try as well, Gaara?"

"You have to, Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Come on, Gaara, we all made fools of ourselves, you have to too." Kiba put a hand to his hip and gave a doggy smirk. Sakura gestured for him to do it and Shikamaru glowered on. Chouji watched with doubt.

Gaara took the spoon with some curry on it and bit down on it. As with his beef jerky, he chewed slowly and at length… With no change of expression. It was a minute later of chewing that he coughed once and everyone leaned forward, eyes widening as they expected him now to make a fool of himself as they all had.

He swallowed. Dipping the spoon into the curry, he took another bite and savored it again. Lee glowed with joy even while everyone else nearly collapsed to the ground with depression. "You know what, Gaara! You're just too cool! What the hell do we have to do to make you make a fool of yourself!" Naruto threw his hands up into the air, Hinata's head pillowed on his one leg as Sakura took a bottle of water from Lee and wetted her handkerchief with it, pressing it to Hinata's forehead and lips.

Lee ate his pear as Gaara ate his curry, grinning around the fruit. He was going to have to bring doubly more of curry tomorrow; and another spoon!


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Ten_

"Lee! Lee! Wait up, please!" Lee turned around at Hinata's mousy voice, though his legs continued to jump. He had possibly thirty seconds to get to class! If he was late again, Mr. Umino was going to write him up! Two months into the school year and already this!

Then again, Lee could not be sad for the 'why' of his tardiness. At one point or another, Naruto and/or Kiba had managed to coerce him into walking with them to their classes so they could chat about whatever random topic came to mind. Also, they wanted to remind Lee to bring more curry; they had extra bottles of water _and_ milk and were prepared for the challenge!

Lee could not have helped giggling at the fact that they had been saying that for nearly two months and the results only seemed to get worse.

Sakura and Hinata seemed nearly inseparable in a school day, sticking to each other with an almost counterbalance symbolism. Just as Lee and Gaara did.

As it turned out, the group now had four smaller groups in it: Shikamaru and Chouji, Sakura and Hinata, Naruto and Kiba, and Gaara and Lee. It was a fantastic system for when something went wrong with one because the other seemed to instantly know and call a 'meeting' on the roof. No one was left behind. Before Lee's and Hinata's arrival, however, it had been that Shikamaru and Chouji were their own duo, Naruto and Kiba one and the same when causing catastrophes, and Gaara had been the outsider while Sakura tried to keep them all in line.

It was wonderful harmony to have after all that, Lee was certain. Two months and he felt as if he had known all of them for years. He even knew about Gaara's childhood (though he was not happy how; not from Gaara himself, but Naruto and Shikamaru who had added his bits where Naruto either exaggerated or forgot). Lee had cried for the small broken boy who had never known a father's love, a mother's care, or a sibling bond. Who's psychotic uncle had caused such a mental breakdown, 'Shukaku' had come into existence.

Lee had hugged Gaara and had not let go of him for three hours after hearing that, which meant that Lee had connected himself to Gaara at the hip from fifth period (which had not made Mr. Tatami happy at _all_ and he had made certain both Gaara and Lee knew of it) to a hour and a half later after lunch, skipping class for the first time in his life just to try and spread the love to his dear friend. A 'meeting' had been called that day when their absence had been realized by Kiba and Hinata not seeing Lee in science and Naruto not seeing Gaara in gym seventh period.

A _very tight knit group. Lee could not have ever been happier. _

_He smiled at the flustered girl, trying to calm her. "Hinata, please be quick, I can not be late again." he was bouncing on the balls of his feet and giving the classroom not ten feet away a watchful stare. Time was ticking and Mr. Umino was tapping his foot, watching him. _

"_Lee, I am so sorry, I didn't know until I saw them here. I hope you can forgive me, but N-" Mr. Umino pointed to the clock and Lee hugged Hinata quickly._

"_I am sorry, Hinata! I will listen later, I swear it! I will give you my absolute attention, but I must go!" He all but ran from her, sliding into his classroom just as the bell sounded. He sighed with relief and Mr. Umino closed the door behind them. He waved back at Hinata, frowning a bit at her heartbroken look. _

_Turning back to the room, he froze. He gawped at who he saw and felt a cold sweat on his palms. On either side of his assigned seat, there were two new students in the class._

"_Lee, take you seat now." Lee did blindly what the teacher ordered, feeling his asymmetrical-cut, green and pink skirt flap around his one thigh and other knee with horror. He sat down numbly and both of the new students stared at him, both with emotions different. _

_Mr. Umino did row call before smiling warmly at seventh period geometry. "Well, students, because of some renovations happening at the Sound district, our district allowed for students there to transfer here until the renovations were done. So, until the repairs are complete, say hello to Tenten Buki and Neji Hyuuga." There was a fair number of 'hellos' muttered in tired voices._

_Lee tried to remain straight in his chair, but he could feel Neji glaring at him and Tenten looked as if she pitied him with her life. He had a rather good idea of what Hinata had wanted to tell him._


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Eleven_

Lee waited on the tips of his toes for the bell to ring while still trying to listen and copy every word Mr. Umino said down into his notebook. Yes, there would be a homework assignment tonight as there was and will be every night. They would complete and then show it to him tomorrow.

The bell rang on that note and Lee, third row over, seventh seat down, was the first one out the door. Two feet from the class, he stopped and forced himself to breathe. He was being a coward! Running from his fears as a child would! His uncle would be ashamed!

Besides, he had his friends now and even if something did go terribly wrong, they would stick by him…

He gulped, suddenly not so certain of that. Tenten and Neji had been with him for years but they had abandoned him in days when everyone had realized what a freak Lee was. He had only been in the gang for two months, so what could he honestly expect of them? Would he actually put them through the shame of being stuck with him while everyone began laughing and mocking and threatening him?

He thought about it too long. When he looked up from where he had stared at the ground, watching shoes, sandals, boots, and flip flops alike pass by, Tenten stood tautly in front of him, not even looking at him but close enough that anyone aside from them would not know the difference.

"Hi, Lee…" Her voice was quiet, reluctant. Lee ducked his head formally.

"Hello, Tenten… How are you?" He felt the hairs on the back of his head prickling and a sense of déjà vu came over him. No, they wouldn't…

But they would. Tenten looked at him, finally met his eyes, and let loose a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Lee."

At that moment, his hands did not fly to the waist of his skirt fast enough to keep them up- even after flinging his books to the ground to do so. They zipped down his legs and he could feel hot air on his shoulder as silence descended in the hall and everyone stopped milling about to stare and gawk… and some glare.

"You don't learn, do you, Lee?" Lee choked on tears, trying to pull the hem of his multi-colored edmund top down low enough to cover his panties and what was hidden in them. The shirt would not reach. "No one appreciates a freak." Neji walked away from him just like that, grabbing Tenten's wrist and pulling.

Tenten could no longer look at him.

The whispers began and not one person stood up for him. He pulled his skirt up as fast as he could with shaking hands and grabbed his books through blurry eyes, his fingers trembling as he pulled them to his chest. The whispers got louder.

"Wait… that's a _guy_?"

"What a freak!"

"Hey, put some damn pants on, dude!"

"He must be another gay wad."

"FAG!"

'_Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me'. It was an amazing saying, and his uncle had tried to hard to get him to live by it. Lee had wanted to too… But then someone came forward and kicked the books out of his arms, catching the limbs in the crossfire. He said nothing as he just picked his books up again and tried to stand on unsteady legs._

_Someone grabbed his braid and pulled. "Anyone got scissors?" Cruel laughter rang out and Lee dropped his elbow into the offender's gut, making a fast retreat… somewhere. Anywhere but there._

_He could hear Mr. Umino calling after him, but he didn't look back._


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Twelve_

**Sakura and Chouji were impatient as they waited for Lee. They had seen him at lunch, so he should be here! If he had had an appointment, he would have told them. **

**They gave each other uneasy looks and Chouji nibbled on a chip. And they knew. Last period. Both had been told about Sound exchanges, though neither of them had met one. They had had the same class last period and their teacher enjoyed informing them all in on the new stuff. **

**They shifted in their chairs and Sakura raised a hand. It was time to go looking.**

**The phone rang. Mr. Hatake ignored her as he picked it up and greeted the caller with a low voice and a perverted joke before smiling. Even from where they sat, they could hear the caller screaming into the white-haired mans ear. "It's good to hear from you too, Iruka…" He blinked and seemed to take interest in what Mr. Umino was saying. "I see… I'll let them know right away." He hung up and went back to reading his porn book.**

**Sakura stalked to the desk and put her hands down on the surface. "Mr. Hatake, we need a pass to go the library again!" Mr. Hatake rose a brow at her. She had the impression he smiled again through his surgical mask. **

"**Oh? That's too sad. Mr. Umino wanted to talk to you two and the rest of your friends about Lee." He sighed and began writing out a pass to the library. "So sad you two don't want to be there…"**

"**Wait, why does Mr. Umino want to talk to us about Lee?" Chouji was by Sakura now and some of the other students were looking on curiously though most others remained either asleep or working. **

**Mr. Hatake rose a brow at them again. "Well, Sakura, there was an accident and he thinks it might be best if you all went looking for him."**

**There was a long moment of silence. "HE'S MISSING!" Chouji's and Sakura's combined shout woke the half of the class that was sleeping. **

"**What'd'ya mean he's missing?" Naruto looked to Gaara with disbelief and Gaara narrowed his eyes on Mr. Umino. Hinata had a hand to her mouth and Kiba looked pissed. The room was empty except them, this being Mr. Umino's free period.**

"**What happened, Mr. Umino?" He growled out while still trying to sound respective to a teacher. **

**Mr. Umino, sighed. "I don't know who did it, I couldn't see. But the next moment, her… his skirt was on the ground and… not many people were happy with it. I tried to call him back but after one kid tried to cut off his braid, but he ran." **

**Gaara turned his back on the teacher and walked out of the classroom, shutting the door silently behind himself. Sakura watched him with concern and Naruto and Kiba were both on the verge of murder. Chouji gave Shikamaru a sad look and Shikamaru looked on with a bored irritation. "How do we split up this time?" **


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Thirteen_

There was a scruff on gravel before Lee realized he wasn't alone. He had been looking down at the ground over the edge of the rooftop, hands clenched on his knees and his legs folded beneath him.

Slowly, not entirely certain, he kept his eyes down as he turned his head and looked. He saw red converse shoes and black buckle strap bondage pants. He looked up at the familiar style.

Gaara stared down at him, arms crossed over his chest and face blank. Lee looked away, his tears falling from his eyes and possibly landing far below. "Why are you sitting there?"

Lee blinked dully. "It is peaceful here, I suppose…" He blinked again and shook his head. "It is a very youthful view!" Force smile and cue thumbs up.

Gaara came forward and -shocking Lee down to his core- initiated contact for the first time (Shukaku did not count). He reached out a hand to Lee and Lee scooted himself to face it, holding it in both of his and ducking his head to wipe his eyes against it. He was pretty sure this wasn't why Gaara had reached out to him, to be used as a tissue, but Lee nuzzled his hand for comfort anyway.

Gaara leaned down, bending his legs to either side of Lee's defeated form, and enfolded Lee to his chest. There was no change in his expression except concentration, as if he were repeating to Lee what Lee had done to him and nothing more. It had comforted him, so perhaps it would comfort Lee as well.

Lee wrapped his arms under Gaara's and held onto his shoulders, burying his face into his chest. He felt a hand on his braid and tensed.

Today had not been the first time someone had tried to cut it off… And not all of them had been fellow pupils. No… His grandfather had been so ashamed… He had all but held Lee down to a chair and nearly cut his ear off in the ensuing struggle. Lee remembered how his grandmother (he had never met his parents) had always loved to play with his hair and Lee had refused to let it be taken away even years after her death.

When all the hand did was grasp the end and begin brushing the loose hairs over the side of his face. Just as he had done to Gaara when he had been upset. Lee smiled just a small bit.

Behind them, the door groaned open. Lee blinked, taking a hand from holding Gaara to rub at his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He expected the gang, even begun smiling larger.

It instantly disappeared with a not-so-great realization. _They_ were _not_ their gang.

Neji and Tenten stood in the doorway and not too far from them, Kimimaro looked as apathetic as Gaara. Tenten stared at the ground as if it would swallow her whole and she wouldn't mind a bit while Neji glared at Lee with a mocking light in his eyes.

Lee stood unsteadily to his feet, putting himself between them and Gaara. "Leave him out of this!" Because it was about to get dirty and Lee did not want Gaara in the middle of his fight.

Neji and Kimimaro circled them slowly, coming from opposite sides as they got as close as a fair distance from them and the ledge. Tenten remained near the door. "You got him involved, Lee. Does he even _know_? Does he know that he just held a disgusting queer?" Neji sounded as calm and scornful as the old days.

Gaara stood, standing next to him facing Kimimaro. Lee gave Neji a fierce glare. "Yes, he does. He has _always known."_

_Neji snorted. "So you two have fucked?" He raised a taunting brow. "My, Lee. I knew you were a aberration but I didn't know you were a whore as well." Lee raised his chin defiantly. _

"_That is none of your concern, Neji." He wished now more than ever he had pants today. They were going to have a fight on their hands and Neji had already proven how easily the skirt could be manipulated. Gaara remained silent._

_Strangely silent, actually. The air felt so heavy, Lee could feel it weigh on his shoulders. "Gaara?" He looked at the redhead over his shoulder, concerned. _

_It was a bad mistake to make when facing off with one Neji Hyuuga. _

_Lee just barely caught the two pointed fingers directed up to stab under his ribs by grabbing his wrist, holding not an inch from himself. He could not catch the second one, the pointer and middle finger of the other hand pushing into the hollow of his neck at his collarbone, digging deep. _


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

Lee let go of the other hand as he choked, trying to gasp in air. Temporarily stunned, Kimimaro tried to come at him from his back.

Gaara was there, and he was not letting Kimimaro through. He got to Gaara and Gaara caught him by the collar of his low tee, raising his hand from their to grab his throat and drive his knee into Kimimaro's gut. Kimimaro slugged Gaara's shoulder, pushing the redhead back an inch. Gaara came right back and shoved his fist into Kimimaro's kidney. Kimimaro drew his fist back and drove it into Gaara's solar plexus.

When they drew apart, both were panting. They both knew exactly where to hit and neither of them were up for more of having their pressure points struck. 

Gaara looked back at Lee who was gasping for breath, eyes glazed, and was simultaneously bucking his one knuckle into the side of Neji's nose. Blood splattered and Neji stumbled back, hands flying up at the sound of his nose breaking. He looked back at Lee with hatred and Gaara felt his conscience slipping away. 

"_Why are you holding me?" Mr. Tatami was screaming at them in the background but Lee remained determined to be leaning over his desk from his chair and hold onto his arm. All Lee did was smile and hold tighter, as if it was the most natural thing on earth. _

There was a physical sensation of being shoved, and then everything was like watching a movie in a theater. No amount of shouting and pounding on the screen was going to change the movie. 

The screen went opaque and he heard his own voice cackle. "_As life goes on, it shall continue without you pathetic morsels to crawl the earth and stench the air._" He saw his fist strike Kimimaro under the jaw. Kimimaro jerked and fell off to the side, but as he watched, he knew he wasn't done with him.

His hands grabbed Kimimaro by his white hair and pulled him back onto his feet. He pulled back his fist and began jabbing it directly into his solar plexus. He didn't stop until he saw consciousness leave his eyes and then dropped Kimimaro to the ground where he laid without moving, a trickle of blood leaving his mouth.

He turned onto where Neji had grabbed Lee's thrown arm and had thrust two fingers into the back of his upper arm. Lee's arm fell numbly back to his side as he bit his lip to stop shouting out in pain. Almost instantly, two fingers jabbed into Lee's neck and he dropped to the ground, choking and coughing. Neji raised a foot and that was the end of him.

Gaara caught his knee, standing over Lee's fallen form. He jerked his own knee up and crashed it straight into Neji's. The Hyuuga cursed and stumbled back. "_To touch my possession is punishable by excruciating pain. To beat my possession is punishable by death._" 

His hand grabbed that long fall of brunette and pulled, making Neji stumble towards him, scowling deeply as he swung his own leg and drove it into his calf. His leg nearly gave out beneath him but he still brought the flat side of his hand down onto the base of his skull. Neji dropped onto the ground and did not get back up. 

He turned his head to where the girl cowered at the door. She stared with wide, horrified brown eyes and he felt a smirk spread across his face. "_A coward survives where the strong hath fallen? The poetry of life is that the intelligent outlive the strong and the strong fall so easily._" He turned his body to face the last standing girl, though he still stood with his legs spread over Lee's unconscious form, having had too short of air. "_Yet when all the brave and strong fall, the weak and cowardly are left to stand alone with no guard and that is when the true murder begins for the weak and cowardly do not to fight or defend but only to run and hide._"

The girl stumbled back, grabbing the door handle and trying to run out. He licked his lips and stepped away from Lee, cornering the panicked girl. "_Coward, coward… so very frightened that I can smell your fear and your fear renders you more useless than you have ever been. Coward, coward, you can not even run for your horror._" 

"G-Gaara…" Heavy panting ensued and he heard coughing. "Please,… no…" There was scuffling over the gravel. "G-Gaara… come… back… to me…" He turned over his shoulder to look at Lee. Even through his opaque vision, he saw the pain that was in Lee's eyes. Now he knew for certain they were hazel because they were so damn bright in his vision. 

Lee tried to stand to his feet, but he only collapsed back to his knees, incapable of breathing enough to suffice. His right arm was numb as was his left upper leg, making both useless. Yet there was nothing wrong with his eyes and they were wide and hopeful on him. "Gaa…ra…" He coughed again, bracing his body on his one good arm as his forehead touched the ground. 

Shukaku ignored the terrified girl now and Gaara watched through the screen as he dropped to one knee and held Lee to his chest, kissing his lips hard. It was a foreign sensation, as if he himself was feeling the sensation through some thin barrier. When he stood again, it was with Lee high to his chest. 

He felt the leer stretch his facial muscles with dull senses as he walked towards the tearing girl. He opened the door smoothly where her horror had rendered her incapable of the simple task and made certain to not only open it, but shove it open so that the door handle on the outside thrust straight into the girl's belly. 

All the breath in her lungs left her in one long wheeze and he walked on, a cackle leaving his lips. 

Halfway down the stairs, he encountered the gang running up them. All of them stopped when they saw him and he heard himself snarl. "_Move, you infidels. I require a healer and I see none among you._" He shoved his shoulder into Kiba's chest and the brunette was knocked against the wall. He walked on calmly as his friends fretted over the fallen boy. 

"Gaara!" He knew that voice well and if it was anything to go by, Shukaku was about to be put to sleep. Gaara waited in the theater-like coma in the back of his mind for the fist to come.

"_You would incapacitate me on a staircase? Still 23 stairs up and with precious cargo in my arms? I had doubted your astuteness always but now I doubt your smarts altogether." _Naruto was forced to halt at that realization. Shukaku looking back down, Gaara saw why Lee had become so silent again.

Unconscious and with a small trickle of blood slipping out over his bottom lip, Lee's head balanced against his shoulder. Shukaku hissed and Gaara watched as they descended the stairs more hurriedly than they had the moment before. _"You may assault me at the bottom, insult of all intellect, but not here._" 

The moment his foot touched the second floor ground, Sakura and Hinata stood in front of him, both of them with their arms outstretched, and he felt a dull thud against his skull, knocking him off to the side and dropping Lee in the process. Hinata caught him before Sakura and held his head off of the ground as she stroked his braid. 

Everything became too bright an opaque to see anyone or even hear for one, dizzying moment. 

When he blinked back into awareness, it was to have Naruto shaking him by the shoulders, asking him what the hell he did and why the hell he did it. Kiba was rubbing his shoulder not too far behind him and Lee was halfway down the hall with Sakura carrying his slight weight. It was not hardly surprising with the fact that Lee was thin as a stick. He blinked from one to the other and then looked down at his arms. He had held Lee… No, _Shukaku had held Lee and had become furious when Lee's health had been endangered. _

_And now it all came rushing back; no longer just a movie he had seen, but him in the action of it all, each bruise and hit he had received throbbing painfully and feeling the swollenness of his one leg. His hands clenched and he looked up at Naruto with cold fury. "They were going to gang up on him." _

_Naruto stopped his rant and looked down at him with confusion. "Wha?"_

"_His old gang is unconscious up there except for one and she's not doing that great either." Shikamaru came down the stairs, hands in pockets and body slouched forward. Chouji stood to his one side and just behind him. "One of them is Hinata's cousin and I'm thinking the girl is Tenten." Chouji nodded, though he did not look extremely happy. He tapped his own nose and fed himself a chip._

"_I don't think Gaara hurt him, Naruto." Chouji looked at where he sat on the ground. "I think he saved him." _


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Fifteen_

"So Neji and Kimimaro are still going to be in school?" Sakura cocked her head at Hinata's news. Hinata nodded.

"Yes, but not ours… Sound finished their repairs last week and they took all the students back instantly, so Neji and Kimimaro are still in school." She sidled a look to Gaara.

He had on a man skirt with two long bondage straps crossing over the front and back, buckle pants beneath it. He had one leg crossed to the ground and the other raised over it, his arm balanced on his raised knee. His tight black shirt had buckles over the shoulders. He turned his eyes and met Hinata's apathetically. "Excuse me, Gaara… How weren't you expelled?"

Lee held another spoonful of curry to Gaara's mouth who took the spoon from him and ate. Lee smiled and answered for him. "Principle Tsunade did not expel him on the terms that he not go polar again or she will expel him." He took back his spoon and ate a bite of his own curry. He had forgotten to bring two spoons today, and Naruto and Kiba had already had their bite and still failed.

They were currently pouting in the corner of the roof, nursing water bottles with red faces.

Chouji was smiling at Lee having adopted his ritual. He tapped Shikamaru's nose and placed a chip delicately on his tongue. He waited till Shikamaru had swallowed before tapping his nose again, no chip in hand.

His mouth opened and Chouji kissed his lips lightly, pulling away fast before Shikamaru could retaliate. The lazy boy's eyes shot open and his mouth opened but Chouji was already chewing another chip.

Lee got more curry on the spoon and fed it to Gaara. His gypsy peasant dress dropped loosely off of both shoulders, green fading to white darkening to green again. His skirt just barely touched his knees, a solid, loosely fitting green. His hair was braided over his right shoulder and he had one a small bit of green eyeliner. Green flats covered his feet.

Lee took a bite of his curry and then fed another bite to Gaara.

Naruto came out of the corner and plopped down beside Hinata who promptly turned red and began bumping her pointer fingers together, watching them. "Hey, fuzzy brows, how do you feel?"

Lee stopped and blinked at him. "What?" Naruto stared hard at him.

"Do you feel better?" Lee made an 'oh' face.

"Yes, I feel much better! Thank you for asking, Naruto!" He patted his throat and hummed contently.

There had been a number of days after the assault he would suddenly be attacked by a coughing fit, abruptly be short of breath. The doctors had been pleased to at least say that Lee was not going to die, have any lasting injuries, and be perfectly fine within not too long. Because Neji had struck for the throat twice, in two highly affective pressure points, Lee's life had been endangered.

He set the spoon down in the half-full plastic container, picking up his peach in place. Juice splattered over his chin and he wiped it away with a napkin. He smiled softly at Gaara. "Thank you for helping me, Gaara."

Not even just the attack. When he had awoken in the hospital, Gaara had been there in the pitch blackness of the room. Somehow, Gaara had slipped pass the night shifts just to sit in his room and keep him company. He hadn't said a word all through the night, but Lee had been comforted by his presence. Of the few things he despised, being alone in a hospital room was one of them. Especially at night.

He ducked his head, pulling out his braid and letting it fall over his shoulder and face, combing his fingers through the silken mass. Hidden behind the ebony, his smile was soft and adoring. Gaara had gone through all that trouble just for him… Lee's heart jolted in his chest and a healthy blush covered his cheeks.

'_That is why I like him so much…-' _His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened as his fingers paused. _He_ had a _crush_ on his _best_ _friend_!

He blinked at the ground. _How had that happened! _What would Gaara think! Wait a moment…

"_Lee! When you meet someone who you shall call your most special person, you must be shameless and bold! Show them your love without condition and do not give up easily! Do not hide what you feel, but be open and free with your emotions! YOSH!" _

Lee sucked in a deep breath, clenching one fist and silently screaming 'YOSH' in his head in reply to his uncle's long ago advice. He would tell Gaara immediately!…

After he braided his hair again! He had to! He had to because… Well, he just had to!

His fingers flew through each twine, and he wound the braid up to the side of his face in a bun. No! It was not right! He unbraided it again and then rewound it, making certain to keep his face directed away.

"Lee." He peeked out of the corner of his eyes around the fall of ebony. A pale hand was reaching out his curry to him, a few large bites left. He took a deep breath.

What was he worrying for? Gaara had kissed him twice, surely that meant that he liked him too!… Wait… No. _Shukaku _had kissed him twice.

He took the container, devouring the last amount as if he were starved. He put the container into the paper bag and went back to braiding his hair again, rallying up the courage still.

Even from the roof, the bell could be heard going off. Lee nearly stopped breathing as everyone stood up and said their goodbyes, some hugging others, before trotting down the stairs. A majority walking together chattered and Lee could hear the echo of their conversation as they walked down the stairs.

Sakura looked back at him. "Hey, Lee, are you coming?" Lee nodded.

"In a moment!" Sakura shrugged and went down the stairs after the rest of the gang. Gaara stood slowly from where he had sat, sliding his arms across his chest in his seemingly uncaring way as he sauntered across the rooftop to the door.

Lee stole a deep breath. "Gaara?" He stood slowly, patting down his gypsy peasant dress skirt. Gaara looked at him over his shoulder.

Lee was uncertain of what to do, keeping his eyes down as he walked up to Gaara. Suppose he should wait till he knew for certain he had a crush on his best friend? He sucked in a deep breath. No! No waiting! His uncle wouldn't have!

He grabbed Gaara's jaw in both hands, meeting his eyes fiercely. "I like you, Gaara!" There! He did it! He did a happy jig in the back of his mind. Uncle Gai would be so proud of him!

Gaara rose a hairless brow at him. "We're friends. You like everybody." Lee's triumph turned to a doomy sense of failure.

"No, I do not like you like that!… Well, I do, but that is not the way I am talking about! I _like_ you, Gaara!… Like-like you!" Gaara narrowed his eyes, not in understanding but suspicion.

Lee groaned. Of all things, Gaara was _thick_! Lee sucked in a deep breath. "Alright, Gaara! I shall take drastic measures!" He held Gaara's face still as he slammed their lips together.

It hurt more than it did good, what with him cracking their noses together in the process. He pressed closer still anyway, his eyes squeezed shut as he felt his skin catch fire. A trail of saliva connected them even when Lee separated from him, looking at Gaara searchingly.

His eyes were wider than Lee's naturally were. His mouth was gaping open and his hands were limp against his sides. Lee licked his lips. "Gaara…?"

He blinked.

Lee strokes one side of his face, concerned now. "Gaara?" Nothing this time. He waved a hand in front of Gaara's eyes. "Hello…?"

He heard the bell sound again. They were late now.

Lee waited another two minutes anyway. Three minutes. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Gaara never blinked. He never even _twitched._

_And all Lee did was watch him, trying to find some sign of life in his unblinking stare. He felt tears building, but he forced them down. He wrapped his arms around Gaara's shoulders and pulled him close to him. "It is okay, Gaara." Gaara remained frozen, even in his embrace. "It is okay…"_

_Lee's eyes slid close and a tear trickled from the corner of one. It had to be okay… But Gaara's silence was deeper than ever before and Lee just wasn't certain._


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter Sixteen_

"Lee! Your youthful friends of your springtime of youth have arrived!" Lee paused in drying out his hair, blinking at the floor.

Wait… What?

He walked out of his bedroom and trotted down the stairs. "Uncle Gai, I did not invite anyone over, are you certain they are not the girl scouts-…" His mouth parted as his footsteps slowed, stopping at the last step and staring at the group of teens at his doorway with absolute shock and surprise. "…again…"

Naruto grinned at him. "Hey, fuzzy brows! We forgot to tell ya, but you're having a sleepover tonight!" Wearing a green sleeping cap on his head with large goggly eyes on the front, he also wore a large orange T-shirt and small green trunks.

Lee nodded numbly. "Yes, you did forget to tell me that, Naruto…" He stepped almost hesitantly off of the last step, looking between his beaming uncle and his best friends. He smiled bit by bit after a moment of looking at all their happy faces. "That is okay, I suppose." He stepped in front of his uncle and opened the door wider. "Please, come in!"

Sakura hit Naruto upside the head before smiling back at Lee. She wore loose cotton pink pajama bottoms and a spaghetti-strap, silk pink top to go with it. "Thanks, Lee! I thought I told Naruto to _ask_ you, but I see that he didn't. Thanks for letting us in anyway." They came in in a long line, all wearing their Pjs. Hinata wore purple pajama bottoms and the purple pajama jacket to go with it. She had her sleeping bag in hand and a sack over her shoulders as she hugged Lee.

Kiba wore grey boxers with little doggies on it with a brown shirt and an extremely large white dog with brown ears followed him into the house. He smiled almost sheepishly. "This is Akamaru! We're not apart unless I'm in school, so I hope it's okay I brought him with me."

Lee smiled and his uncle nearly attacked the dog. "HE IS FULL OF CUTE, FIERY WILL!" Kiba blinked and Lee put a hand to his hip and smirked at him.

"I once brought a baby crocodile home when I was three and staying here. Two years later, we kept a full grown snapping turtle in the backyard and cared for a baby bear cub seven months later." He hugged Kiba. "Akamaru is more than welcomed here, we are proud to have him here!"

Akamaru bounded to the living room with Gai in hand, wrestling with him across the floor. "Yosh! He is so determined!"

Chouji wore an extremely large white shirt and light brown shorts with them. Shikamaru wore… his usual day clothes.

Lee stared blankly at him and Shikamaru returned it blandly. "It's too troublesome to change twice a day. I just change when I need to change." He walked pass Lee who was nodding in understanding, Chouji smiling at Lee as he chewed his chips.

Lee, watching him next, had a thought… Did Chouji ever stop eating chips? Lee had seen him eating many other things, but the chips seemed to remain a constant.

Lee heard a scuff at the door and blinked. He felt prickling at the back of his neck and he shivered. He sidled a glance to the door and smiled softly. "Hello, Gaara…"

The same Gaara he had not seen since he had admitted to like-liking him. That had been two days ago and Gaara had not even been seen at school. Now it was Friday night and Gaara stood in his doorway… Admittedly, all of his friends had just stood in the doorway, but he had seen them at school as well…

He met fresh green eyes slowly, his own going from one to the other, attempting to find some emotion. After holding Gaara that day, the redhead had pulled out of his arms after 45 minutes without saying anything. It had been the last time Lee had seen him.

He saw nothing.

Gaara stepped inside, wearing loose black sweat pants and a black wife beater. He had a red sack thrown over his back.

"It is good to see you again… How do you feel?" Lee knew Gaara's absence had to do with his admission, but he would pretend otherwise if that was Gaara's wish.

Gaara stepped up close to him, so close their chests nearly touched and Lee was uncertain as to what it meant.

Lee stepped back. "Gaara, do you know how you feel?" Now he spoke of the redhead's emotions. Gaara said and did nothing, only looking at him with dull eyes. Lee forced himself to smile again. "That is alright, Gaara. I will wait for you for as long as need be." He closed the door behind him. "Now, come on! Everyone is waiting for us!"

He pulled off the hair band on his wrist and tied his hair up into a ponytail, raising the edges of his large green flannel top from the bottom of his orange boy shorts.

Even now, he looked like a girl. Especially now with how his skin still smelling heavily of lotus flowers and forest rain. His grandmother had taught him how to make his own oils before her death… Lee smiled at the memory of her letting him stay up for hours, just creating dozens of scents in candles, oils, body soap, shampoos, conditioners… Everything.

He missed her so much.

He smoothed his ponytail as he walked into where his friends circled the low sitting table in the living room, his uncle holding Akamaru successfully in an arm lock Kiba looked ready to murder him for. Akamaru was still 'smiling' though and seemingly having a blast trying to wiggle his way out.

Naruto and Kiba were having a competition to see who could catch the most candy mints in their mouths, a small bowl of it in the center of the table.

Sakura and Hinata had taken the love couch next to the larger one, talking mutedly together. Chouji sat on the armchair to the other side of the larger couch, Shikamaru sitting on the ground between his legs with his head lying back on Chouji's lap.

Lee sat down opposite the larger couch, folding his legs beneath him on the ground. Gaara stood against the wall by the entrance.

Gai stood up with a hearty laugh. He clapped Lee's back hard. "My youthful nephew! You have wonderful friends full of fire and will!" He gave him a thumb's up and a wink. "I shall bring popcorn and soda!"

Lee blinked. "But, uncle Gai, we do not have popcorn and soda." Both Naruto and Kiba gasped. Gai punched one fist into his other palm.

"Than I shall get popcorn and soda and return within five minutes or else add 17 extra laps to my morning run!" He began jogging in place and Sakura smiled uncertainly.

"Um, thanks, Mr. Gai… You don't have to, maybe we could just order pizza and pop?" Lee gestured wildly at her for her to stop talking. She frowned at him, but it was far too late.

Gai's hands flew to his mouth and he looked at Sakura as if she had offended him to the max. "Fast food! Never! Not in this house! I shall make pizza for you all after I return from the market store! It shall be much better than any fast food!"

He zipped out of the room and the front door slammed after him. Lee smiled comfortingly at Sakura. "He is a very good cook, I assure you. He taught me how to make nearly everything I can cook!" He shifted his weight slightly. "Now! … What do you all want to do?"

"Oh! Oh! Truth or dare!" Naruto cried out and Kiba smirked.

"Hell yeah!" They both leaped over the table and sat close to Lee. "C'mon everyone, down here!" He pointed a finger to Gaara. "Shut of the lights and get yo ass over here!"

Gaara turned off the lights and strolled over, sitting down next to Lee but far enough away he looked more next to Naruto. Hinata sat down with her legs folded to one side of her body to the other side of Naruto and Kiba was next to her. Chouji stayed at the chair mostly because Shikamaru had fallen asleep again. Sakura sat closer to Lee and therefore completed the tight circle, all of them nearly touching.

"Who starts?" Sakura looked curiously from one to the other and Lee hummed thoughtfully. Naruto looked to Lee.

"Do you have an empty bottle or somethin'?" A light sparked in Lee's eyes as he shot to his feet, putting a hand to Sakura's shoulder to support as he zoomed through the living room, waiting room, and then into the kitchen. He went to the recycling bin and took out a water bottle.

When he gave it to Naruto, the blonde put it in the center and spun it as Lee sat back down again.

It landed on Sakura and Naruto snickered. "Truth or dare, Sakura!"

Sakura gave it a moment of thought, not as much afraid as weary of what Naruto would think of. Better safe than sorry, she went for the lesser of two evils. "Dare." No one wanted to know what Naruto would ask.

Naruto whined before thinking about it. "Alright… I dare you to…" He began cackling. "I dare you to kiss my foot!" He stretched it out to Sakura who grimaced.

She kissed her fingertips and pressed them to Naruto's foot. She smirked at his downcast expression. "You didn't say with my lips!" She spun the bottle. It landed on Hinata and she smiled. "Hinata, truth or dare?"

She nibbled her lip. "… Truth?"

Sakura smiled almost softly. "Do you have a crush on someone?" There was a knowing look in her eyes as if she already knew the answer and the who.

Hinata flushed and began her nervous habit of bumping her pointer fingers together. "Y-yes…"

Naruto gaped. "You do? Who! C'mon, Hinata, tell us! He has to be pretty lucky!" Kiba gave him a dull look out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm thinking he's pretty thick, too." Naruto turned to Kiba.

"Really? Why'd you say that?"

"No reason." Akamaru barked and Kiba laid back against his belly. Sakura was quick to step in when Naruto opened his mouth again.

"Well, it's your turn, Hinata!" Hinata nibbled on her bottom lip as she stared at the bottle.

She spun it and it landed on Gaara.

She tugged a few strands of her long hair behind her ear, looking uncertainly between him and the bottle. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Truth or dare, Gaara?"

He cocked his head. "Dare."

The smirk that came across her face made everyone gap and squirm. Gaara narrowed his eyes on her. "Okay, Gaara…" Her meek voice was so sweetly happy, Lee swallowed hard and Kiba scooted away from her, Naruto grimacing. "I dare you to kiss Lee."

As if she had always planned it. As if she _knew_. Which would be ridiculous because Lee hadn't even known since two days ago and hadn't seen Gaara since, so what way was there to find out?

Lee flushed and ducked his head. "It is alright, Gaara. You can do the same as Sakura did-"

"with lips. Until an epiphany comes to you." Her smile was just so innocent. Lee looked at her with wide eyes and a choked expression. Naruto looked at her as if she were a _goddess_.

Strangely, no one questioned Hinata's condition about the 'epiphany'.

Lee peeked at the redhead out of the corner of his eyes. He did not want to force Gaara, he wanted him to come naturally into the relationship!… He wanted him to be happy.

Gaara met his sidled stare with his own. Lee looked away and waited. Either Gaara would do it or he would not. If Lee knew him well enough-…

Gaara stood up from the circle, walking away. Everyone stopped smiling and Naruto looked ready to hit him.

Lee smiled at them. "I think you need to spin the bottle again, Hinata." A door opened and closed in the background and Lee stood up. "I will go check on him."

He walked out fast. He was uncertain whether or not they continued.

He stepped out onto the small porch, holding his arms in the chilly night air. Rambling off of the porch, he shivered as his bare feet landed on dewy grass.

"Gaara, are you okay?" The redhead stood in the center of his front yard, looking up at the full moon. Lee stood beside him and looked up as well. "It is beautiful."

Gaara said and did nothing. He stared up at the sky and Lee wrapped an arm around his own waist and the other hand he put to his opposite shoulder. "How could you be warm, Gaara? It is freezing out here!" He rubbed his bare legs together for warmth.

Still nothing.

Lee began shivering, but it wasn't entirely from the cold. Well, it was, but not the same cold… From both the cold night _and_ the cold shoulder.

"Why did she do that?" Lee looked back at Gaara.

"… Hinata?" Gaara nodded once. "I think because… she was trying to help me out." Gaara looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "I do not know how she found out… I never told her." Or any of them for that matter. Gaara looked back to the sky. "I am sorry for that…"

There was a long while of silence.

Finally, Gaara looked to him again and even turned his body to follow his eyes. Lee turned towards him as well, tilting his head attentively. "When dared, one must follow through. Those are the rules." Lee didn't think that sounded like a question, but he nodded anyway. "So I must kiss you."

Lee paused, but nodded again. "Not if you do not want to, though… You may do so by your own free will…" And he honestly would rather he not kiss him because of a dare. '_Must_' kiss him? Lee wanted him to _want_ to kiss him.

"Would you let me kiss you?" Lee looked him straight in the eyes, honest completely.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you are my most special person." His voice was soft, but sincere.

"What makes me your most special person?"

Lee looked dazedly upon him for a few moments, trying to think of _exactly_ what attracted him to Gaara so. "Do you remember that time a butterfly landed on your nose and you had no idea what to do?"

Their teacher had been absent one day. The substitute had gotten bored being inside and had demanded they move to the outdoors! Standing outside apart from the rest of the class who were hiding under the shade of a large tree, Lee and Gaara had lazed nearby. A monarch butterfly had landed right on Gaara's nose and his eyes had crossed to look at it. They had narrowed and he had crinkled his nose, attempting to rid of it. Lee had giggled and Gaara had glared at the stubborn insect. When they had walked back inside and the butterfly had remained on Gaara's nose right up until they got to the door. He had stopped and refused to take another step, declaring to Lee in not so many words that he knew the butterfly would be killed by an ignorant child within.

Lee had been awed by the fact that Gaara thought of that and was willing to risk a detention for the small life. Lee had tickled the butterfly, who then crawled from Gaara's nose to Lee's finger, flickering it's wings contentedly. Lee had whispered air against it's wings and they had watched it fly away until it disappeared into the sky before reentering the building.

Gaara nodded and Lee continued. "You care, Gaara. You look as if you do not, but you are so very kind hearted. It did not occur to you that a butterfly might not be allowed in the school, but that it would be killed if it got into the school. That attracts me to you."

"One moment attracted you?"

"How weird you are attracted me." Lee smiled. "You are shameless and I know you will not be pressured to ever abandon any of your friends!" His eyes were loving on Gaara. "I know you are loyal and patient, even if you are a man of very few words." He reached up, wanting to touch Gaara. He stopped his hand halfway and touched it to his own heart instead. "Why would you not be my most special person? You stood up and fought for me when I could not." Lee had to look away at that one.

'_And then you kissed me hard and passionately, but that was actually Shukaku…' _He touched a pointer finger to his bottom lip, the same one that had been over his heart. That had felt good. Very good. _Unbelievably_ _good_.

"I would be an idiot not to _really_ like you."

"… Can I kiss you now?" Lee blinked and looked at him, his cheeks reddening.

"Yes… But only if you want to! Not because Hinata dared you or anything like that!" Gaara stared at him and Lee was uncertain if he would do it.

And then Gaara brought a hand up and cupped Lee's face, tilting his chin gently as he descended oh so slowly. Lee felt his face flame and his heart thundered in his ears. He could smell Gaara and he was of hot sun and ocean air. His mouth eased open and his eyes slid close as he felt lips against his own.

It was an explosive moment. He gasped into Gaara's mouth and wrapped one arm around the redhead's shoulders, holding him close. Gaara tangled a hand in his hair and nipped almost experimentally his bottom lip. Lee moaned and returned the attention, dragging Gaara's bottom lip between his teeth and into his mouth, sucking around the soft, pink muscle before Gaara came closer and stole it back, pressing punishing force to Lee's lips.

They parted for only a moment, Lee's eyes opening wide with awe to look at Gaara's half-lidded ones. When their lips touched again, it was sufficiently gentler. Lee's eyes were mostly closed, but their gazes held as they fitted their lips together. Gaara freed Lee's hair from the ponytail and held him as close to him as skin would allow, much less their clothes. Lee licked Gaara's lips questioningly, his one hand falling down Gaara's back to catch in his wife beater. Gaara opened his mouth and touched his tongue to Lee's in a testing matter, rubbing them together more as if getting the feel for it instead of anything else. Lee whimpered and it was the greatest feeling he had ever had.

Lee arched his chest into Gaara's. When they separated again, both were gasping for breath, Lee more apparent than Gaara. He smiled at the redhead, petting the red hair at his neck. Gaara touched their foreheads together and Lee felt Gaara's chest shudder against his own. "Gaara… What does this make us?"

"BOYFRIENDS!" Lee's smile slipped into a gawp and his head spun on his shoulders to look at his crying uncle who stood on the nearby sidewalk, grocery bags at his feet. "YOSH! My youthful nephew has entered the springtime of love!" Lee blushed scarlet and his hands tightened in Gaara's shirt and hair.

"Hell yeah!" Gaara turned a sharp look onto the peepers at the window, one head stacked over the other with all grinning faces. Hinata was looking over Sakura who was side by side with Naruto who was looking over Kiba who was had turned his head to shout behind him.

"Hey, Shikamaru! Get yo lazy ass up, they finally hooked up!"

"Finally!" Lee stuttered at Chouji's reply.

"Gaara…" Lee whispered close to his ear. "I think… this was planned…" Gaara tightened his hold on him.

"No one planned this." Lee looked at him, thinking he was talking about what they had just done. As it turned out, he was speaking of what they were _about_ to do.

Gaara captured his lips in such heated passion, Lee shook against him. He threw his arms around Gaara's shoulders and held for dear life as he was devoured from the inside out, Gaara seducing his mouth with fast calculations. When Gaara pulled back, Lee felt as if all of his secrets had been stolen with him and sucked in a deep breath as he looked up at him with awed, wide eyes. No, Gaara was not experienced. But he was eager to learn and learned fast. Lee touched a finger to his bruised lips and looked at Gaara's hungrily.

"Ew! You two knew we were watching that time!" Sounds of flesh meeting flesh were accompanied by Naruto's loud 'ow!'.

His uncle ran into the house, sobbing the whole way. "BRING ME THE CAMERA! I MUCH CAPTURE THIS MOMENT!"

Lee pecked Gaara's lips lightly, stroking his neck contently. "Gaara… What does this make us?" Gaara cocked his head.

"… I don't know."

"WE TOLD YOU! YOU'RE BOYFRIENDS!" Naruto was hit again and Sakura furiously called the blonde's name.

Lee smiled at Gaara and wiggled his brows. "What do you say, Gaara?" He giggled. "Will you be my boy friend?" He waited on baited breath.

Gaara kissed his lips with infinite tenderness and Lee understood now more than ever why Gaara was a man of few words.

A man few of words was a man passionate of heart and soul. Beauty could not be expressed in syllables, and Gaara had somehow learned that.

A camera began madly snapping in the background and Lee separated his lips from Gaar to give his uncle a horrified look.

All his uncle did was grin deliriously back. "He is so hip and so cool, my youthful nephew! He may even be good for you if he works for it!"

There were cries of agreement from the window and Lee smiled at Gaara. "And I shall work very hard to be good enough for you as well, Gaara."

Gaara shook his head. "Don't." Lee frowned.

"Why not?"

Words failed Gaara again and he kissed Lee firmly. When he pulled away, there was something in his eyes and Lee swore he heard his voice in his head.

'_Because this is what I like-like.'_

_Lee smiled and stroked his cheek. "Then you must not change either because this is exactly who my most special person is!" _

"_I AM GOING TO CRY MANY MANLY TEARS FOR THE BEAUTY OF THIS MOMENT!" _


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter Seventeen_

"Do you honestly believe that, Naruto?" Lee was sadder for the heartbroken Hinata being held by Sakura than the blandly shrugging blonde.

"Yeah, I just don't think there's a girl here for me, ya know? I used to think I liked Sakura like that but it didn't work out." He scratched his chin and shrugged again.

Lee smiled sadly. "You can not talk like that, Naruto! If you do not believe you shall find love, love will not find you easily!"

Naruto snorted. "What're you talking about, fuzzy brows? Gaara wasn't looking for love, but you sure as hell found'im!"

Lee flushed rather prettily and his smile grew sheepishly. "Well, Naruto, that is not quite true. We happened to have a class together and then you introduced us!" He winked at the blonde. "But I do like how you said it much better!" Gaara nudged him and Lee handed him the rest of the curry, having eaten his own generous portion.

"Yeah, but I want the love you guys have!" He leaned back against the ledge of the rail, looking lazy enough to challenge Shikamaru who was yet again was staring up at the cloudy sky, hands crossed behind his head with Chouji resting his head on his belly for once.

Lee blinked and tilted his head. "How is that, Naruto?" Lee looked from himself to Gaara curiously. Not much has changed, actually. Most certainly, they kissed and touched a lot, but they still acted like dear best friends. Even now, they were just barely touching.

Lee had his legs folded beneath himself as per usual, wearing a beach linen long skirt, his pink shawl top fluttered with every breeze He wore his orange leg warmers and blue sneakers, his hair let loose for the heat-relieving winds to play with. Gaara sat next to him, one leg stretched out across the ground and the other raised. Lee's knees just touched his thigh and Gaara would lean over every once in a while for whatever reason, brushing his shoulder against Lee's chest. Lee had to bite his lip every time, if only for the reason that the shawl was made of very light material to better keep cool and there were sun-warmed buckles over the shoulders of Gaara's long-sleeved tight black shirt. Maybe it was not much of a reason, but maybe having Gaara lick experimentally at him through the shirt was a better excuse.

Those random touches and tender glances (mostly Lee, but sometimes Gaara stared more than his fair share), as well as mind-blowing kisses were about all that was different… They were just content to continue on like this and Gaara was not used to constant touching, though Lee could do with any touch his boyfriend opted to give to him. They had set out the rules days ago the Saturday they had woken up after the party.

Lee was not ready for '_it_' and Gaara was completely new to intimate affections altogether. They were learning as they went along; what to and what not to do with each other. Ah… The beauty of first love!

Naruto huffed. "Ya know… What you guys have!"

Lee thought it over. Finally he blinked. "You are gay, Naruto?" It explained so much! Now he felt his own heart break for Hinata who had paled in Sakura's arms. She remained silent though, content to let Naruto be happy.

Naruto gagged. "Hell no!" He seemed to think that over. "Not that it's bad or anything! I just don't do no boobs!" He grimaced and looked at Sakura fearfully. "Not that that's inconsiderate or anything! I just like girls!" He whined at his own confusion and looked between Shikamaru and Chouji to Gaara and Lee. "Not that it's bad to not like girls!… GAAAAHH!" He dug his nails into his head. "You're all confusing me!"

Exasperation sighed through the air like it's own gale wind. Lee smiled comfortingly in the midst of it. "It is alright, Naruto. We understand. You are straight." He put his hands up in an 'I surrender' pose as he chuckled. "No one is going to be angry at you."

Hinata had fainted in Sakura's arms.

Gaara handed him his empty container. Lee smiled and took it back. Sliding his hands over Gaara's in the process.

Lee felt a flow of electricity, delicious and warming, from one to both of them. He cast the redhead a tender glance as he put the container back in the plastic container, his heart thundering with what he was coming to associate the moment he was about to be, or was being, kissed by his boyfriend.

As his heart foretold, Gaara stole his lips and Lee could not breathe for that one, glorious moment.

He licked Gaara's lips as he pulled away, glowing happily. Not much had changed between them… Except the touches and the kisses…

And the _like-liking._


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter Seventeen_

**Walking side by side, not even touching, but close enough that the air between their shoulders was almost invisible, Lee was staring up at the sky. **

**Another raindrop fell and splattered over his nose. He blinked and then a small smile crept creep over his face.**

**The heavy dark clouds let down a few more drops… and then opened up as if the sky was breaking the ocean above it falling through. He hummed happily and turned gleeful eyes onto his boyfriend.**

**If Lee knew how alluring he looked in that moment- white skirt watered down to stick tightly to his shapely legs and pink shawl shirt falling off of one shoulder, darkening and accentuating his thin body.- he did not let on. **

**His gaze was so ardent and his entire aura seraphic. His wave of ebony hair reached pass his now pointed nipples and he closed his hazel/black eyes. One moment, he was walking…**

**The next, he was spinning away, slipping out of his sneakers to run barefoot across a small grass field to off the side of the cement they had been walking on. He turned around once and that was to entice Gaara to follow him with a wink of one eye and a crook of one finger. The moment Gaara stepped into the green, Lee was laughing, running from him at high speed.**

**Gaara watched him and when he came running back, his formerly white skirt was stained with mud and grass, drenched. His shawl was no better off but he looked so happy and euphoric, there was nothing Gaara would have said against it.**

**Lee grabbed his hands and pulled, laughter tumbling from his plump lips and Gaara allowed himself to be dragged away with the vigorous altruist. **

**An acquisitive lust began boiling in the pit of his belly as he rose Gaara's arm high and began a one-sided rave, laughing loudly the whole time as he coerced Gaara to dance with him in the rain.**

**He took action after three minutes of Lee twirling himself under Gaara's raised arm, snapping Lee close to him and dipping him close to the soggy ground. Rain fell directly onto Lee's face and it gave such a beautiful , sumptuous solidarity to the moment that Gaara's heart shuddered deep in his heavy chest.**

**He brought Lee back up and Lee leaped onto him, wrapping his legs around his waist as his hands gripped Gaara's shoulders, leaning his body back into the rain. His smile was winsome. His presence was facetious and yet Gaara still could not smile. It was against his nature.**

**So was Lee's entire personality. He was everything Gaara was not and Gaara was drawn to him such as a predator was to their prey. And so Gaara had him now.**

**His. Lee was his. This creature of light danced out of his arms, doing a cartwheel across the swollen grounds before completing three front flips. On the third, he tripped over his heavy skirt, but he never stopped laughing as mud smeared over his face and neck. Lee looked back at him and Gaara knew he was expected to follow the former's actions.**

**Instead, he walked to his side and sat down next to him. Lee tackled him and they rolled a few times. When the stopped, Lee reigned higher and his hands were balanced on Gaara's chest, his eyes shining as he gazed so softly down at Gaara. **

**He watched Lee, feeling the ache in his chest hurt for some unnamable reason. He sat up before pulling Lee close to him, weaving a hand into Lee's hair and fiddling with each silky black strand. **

**Their lips brushed. One… Twice… Thrice….**

**Their lips held and Lee's tongue poked his own, Lee pushing their chests together as he wound a hand into the short hairs at the nape of Gaara's neck. **

**Gaara fell back and Lee followed him down, their mouths open as their tongues tangled and Gaara nipped at the daring appendage. Lee gasped against his mouth and pushed closer, his legs squeezing around Gaara' waist. **

**Gaara twisted his hips, overthrowing Lee and pushing him into the sodden ground. Lee broke from him, laughing as his legs fell further to each side, letting Gaara lay against him.**

**Gaara cut his laugh off with his lips again, his tongue darting into Lee's mouth, tasting hot and spicy things. Lee wrapped his arm around his back and moaned into Gaara's mouth. **

**Rain pelted his back and their lips parted slowly, reluctantly. Gaara sat back just as slowly, feeling the heat of his own body soak into Lee's and vice versa. Lee pursued him, whether to keep that heat or just because his arms were still wound around his back, Gaara was uncertain of.**

**Lee tucked himself into his lap, letting his head fall back on his neck and closing his eyes to let the rain shower his soaked body. "It is beautiful…" Even his voice was soft and whispery, as if he knew how peaceful this moment was and could not bear to break it. "Is it not, Gaara?" His hands traveled up his back and cupped the back of Gaara's neck.**

**When Lee looked back at him, he looked far too serene, almost as if he was not of this world. Gaara did not answer him, only trying to see the dark, wan dismal world around them in the bright, extravagant haven Lee seemed to see. **

**Lee laughed and it was more like his usual patient, happy laugh instead of a seducing nymph. He patted Gaara's shoulder and leaped to his feet, pulling Gaara along by one hand. "Come along now, Gaara! If we do not get inside soon, we will catch colds!" He began running, dragging Gaara behind him as he swooped down and grabbed his shoes before pattering down the sidewalk. He smiled back at Gaara. "Quickly, Gaara! We are almost there!" **

**Gaara let himself be pulled along, twitching his fingers around Lee's hand to hold close. That funny feeling in his chest had not diminished.**


	20. Chapter 20

_Chapter Eighteen_

Naruto strolled lazily to Lee's house, fingers woven behind his head. He was snickering under his breath and in his froggy backpack, there was a badly wrapped present.

Today was the day four months ago Lee joined the gang! It was January first and snow was floating down from the sky still, blanketing the white ground. He had asked the gang if they wanted to do it with him, but all of them had had something else to do and Gaara hadn't been there. They said they would make it up tomorrow, but Naruto was feeling pretty damn proud of himself!

It was a Thursday at 5 P.M. If Naruto was right, he would get to Lee's house just after Lee got back from his after school jog (He would know after making the mistake of coming right after school for three weeks and never getting a reply until he had a fit and stayed at the door for a hour and a half waiting for them)!

He banged on the door. "Hey, fuzzy brows! Open up!" The door clicked almost instantaneously and he smirked when he met Lee's eyes. "Hey, man! Happy Aniversa-…" His smile turned into a confused frown as he looked down at what Lee was wearing. "… The hell is this, fuzzy brows?"

Lee shifted uncomfortably under his shocked stare. "Naruto…" He rubbed his opposite arm, grimacing. "I do not think this is a good time…" He pulled at the hem of his men's dress shirt, fiddling with one white button. His black dress slacks were also male and his flats were a dude's too.

He looked like a _guy_. Even with his hair pulled back into a ponytail, he was unmistakably a boy.

"Fuzzy brows, what the hell happened to you!" He walked into Lee's house, grabbing his shoulders and shaking Lee. "Who are you?"

"Who is that at the door!" Naruto blinked at the angry, snappy voice. A middle-aged man stormed into the welcoming room and glared hard at them both with narrowed black eyes. "Who are you?" He snarled at Naruto.

Naruto felt himself swell with indignation. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Who are you, old man?" Lee grabbed his shoulders now.

"Please, Naruto, g-"

"Uzumaki?" The old man gave him a considering look, a thoughtful once over from toe to head. "Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Leaf Incorporation?"

Naruto smirked. "Yeah!"

The old man seemed to cool a bit, looking a little more welcoming. "Well, why don't you come in, Mr. Uzumaki." He even smiled fondly at Naruto.

Lee gaped at Naruto as the old man went back to the kitchen. "_Who_ are the Uzumakis?" He sounded almost reverent.

Naruto knit his fingers behind his head again, chest puffed out with pride. "Oh, we're just one of the greatest business corps in just about the whole damn country! Nothin' to boast about, though…" Yet he still rubbed the back of his head and oozed smugness.

Lee all out gawked. "How come you never told me? Does everyone know this?"

Naruto shrugged. "Naaahhh… If they do, they don't let me in on it! Only the gang knows."

Lee gave him a hurt look. "I thought I was part of the gang."

Naruto frowned. "You are! So's Hinata! That's why I was going to invite you all to my house this weekend!" He gave a narrowed glare to where the old man had disappeared to. "Who was that old fart?"

Lee ducked his head. "That was my grandfather, Suoh."

"What is taking you two so long! Get in here!" Naruto growled at hearing his voice.

"They are friends! Let them take their time!" Naruto was struck with a realization at Gai's voice.

"Wait! So that's fuzzier brow's dad!"

Lee shook his head. "He is from my mother's side of the family. Uncle Gai is my father's brother."

"Where are your parents, then?"

"They died in a car accident when I was two."

Naruto flinched. "I'm sorry, man…"

Lee smiled sadly. "It is okay. I have long come to terms with it."

Naruto jerked his head towards the door. "What's he doing here than?"

Lee's bangs hid his eyes. "He is making sure that I have not been dressing as a girl or ogling men, or else I will go back home with him. So please, Naruto, do not tell him."

Naruto gaped at him. "Wait, _what_!"

Lee pushed Naruto away further away from the kitchen, lowering his voice to an almost inaudible whisper. "Uncle Gai does not have custody of me, Naruto. My grandfather does. As far as he is concerned, I am merely staying over here to not bother him for as long as I do not… 'revert back to my sinful and unholy ways'."

Naruto was furious. "How come you never told us, fuzzy brows?"

Lee looked away again. "It is not something I should bother you all with."

"And if you suddenly stopped coming to school?"

"I… I do not know… I would not put it above him to drag me away whenever the mood struck him…" He smiled, but it looked more like a painful twist of lips. "Luckily, he does not wish to do so often."

"GET IN HERE! WE CAN NOT EAT UNTIL WE ARE ALL HERE!" Lee grimaced.

"Naruto, would you like to join us?"

Naruto was already pushing pass him to the kitchen. "WE'RE GETTING THERE YOU OLD FART! Come on, fuzzy brows!"

Lee paled and snickered in the same breath at Naruto's comeback. "Naruto, please…."

"YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!" Suoh slammed his flat hands to the table as he stood up abruptly, glaring at Naruto for nearly thirty seconds before seeming to calm instantaneously. "Uzumaki, please sit at the table with us."

Naruto did so with bravado, even taking out Lee's chair for him before taking his own. If a glare could kill, he would have died hundreds of times over in those few seconds by Suoh's disapproval.

Gai watched on with a barely concealed grin and proud eyes.

Dinner went on for seven minutes with no interruptions… Or even conversation.

Just when Naruto felt himself begin to twitch in the unusual silence, Suoh put down his spoon and looked hard at Lee who met his eyes after a moment.

"When am I getting great grandchildren from you?" His cold voice suggested that Lee _not_ bring up that he wasn't going to have any grandchildren… At least with a wife or girlfriend.

Lee choked on his hot pasta, looking away from his grandpa to wipe his mouth with a napkin. "Pardon, Grandfather?"

"Children! A wife! A _woman_." Suoh took a small wineglass to his lips and gave Lee a critical look over the rim of it. "You do like those, don't you? Succulent breasts and a vagina?"

Lee paled and Naruto flushed. The glass cup Gai held shattered and he death glared the table right next to Suoh. "Excuse me, I must get something to clean this up." He stood up and his chair flew back and crashed against the ground with the force in which he got to his feet.

Suoh grimaced disapprovingly at Gai. "Yes, you should." He could not have sounded less friendly. Gai disappeared out of the dining room into the kitchen. Naruto had never seen him so tense.

Suoh turned back on Lee. "So?" His eyes narrowed nearly threateningly. "Or do you still fancy dick?"

Naruto gaped at him. "Hey! Aren't you too old to say stuff like that?"

Suoh ignored him. "Well?"

Lee did not answer, poking at his pasta with his fork. Naruto felt himself start to breathe fire, he was so pissed. Lee couldn't answer that without lying and Naruto knew him well enough to know that he couldn't lie!

Suoh smiled and it was the least comforting shift of lips Naruto had ever seen. "Is that how it is?" He turned to Naruto now. "Tell me, you know Lee, don't you?"

Lee tensed just as his uncle had and Naruto gulped down his water, trying to buy time. Even when he slammed it down onto the table, empty, Lee's grandfather still watched him. "Uh… Yeah, I know'im… Why do you ask?"

Suoh leaned towards him from across the table. "Tell me… What does he wear? Is he in a relationship?"

Naruto pulled at his collar, trying to think of how to word himself without giving Lee away. Lee had closed his eyes and his shoulders sagged out of the corner of Naruto's eyes. Looking closely, it wasn't out of relief. Lee knew what was coming next and he knew it wasn't good.

In studying this, Naruto's mind wondered and he blurted out the first two things that came to mind. "He wears what makes him look hot and he's dating the heir to the Sabaku legacy, so cool it, you old coot!" He crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back.

Lee's eyebrows drew together in confusion as he looked at Naruto. "The Sabaku legacy?"

"The Sabaku legacy!" Suoh's eyes had widened and he all but salivated on the table. "The Sabaku corporation is nearly as large as the Uzumaki's!" He looked to Lee with a new light in his eyes. "The Sabaku heir is a _fag_?"

Not only did Naruto slap his hands to the table and snarl at the old man, Lee did so as well. "Do not call my boyfriend that!" His fists clenched on the white table cloth and his teeth visibly clenched. "I will stand for every insult you wish to throw at me, even stand for every threat to my happiness, but I will not let you bad mouth my boyfriend!

Naruto was feeling proud and shocked in the same moment, but Suoh rose to meet Lee, fury and disgust twisting his face ugly. "You little whore! You filthy man-loving whore!" His hand came up and caught Lee right across the face. "How dare you! You sat at my table for 14 years, ate my food, slept in my home, and lived on my money! This is how you repay me?"

Naruto snapped his teeth together and glared hatred at the old man. "Who the hell do you think you are? He's your grandkid and you're abusing him for being what makes him happy? _Who _makes him happy? I'll tell you what, I've never seen him happier than with Gaara and Gaara's been a whole hell a lot better with fuzzy brows around! Believe it, you old asshole!"

Suoh turned red and Lee was watching him out of the corner of his eyes, awed and sad in the same moment. Suoh spat at the ground. "It is unnatural! A sin of the flesh; a punishment for your father's forsaken family!" He spoke to Lee.

Lee snapped back at him. "It may be unnatural, but we are happy with that and I will not let such joy slip through my fingers for fear of you! And my father's family is not forsaken! It is beautiful, united, loyal, loving, and even eternal! Life is wonderful with my father's family, not such as it had been in yours since Grandmother died!"

The hand flew out and caught Lee across the other cheek. Lee refused to break glares. "Do not speak of her, you little no one!"

"She loved me for how I was! She supported my choices and she even rejoiced in it! She told me I was unique and that I should bask in such knowledge! I will not let your misjudgment muck her words, just as I will not let you dirty Uncle's Gai's!"

Suoh stepped away from the table, his eyes freezing on Lee. "Excuse me, Uzumaki… Lee, go pack your things. Clearly, this place is not good for you." He eyed Lee from head to toe. "You've degraded to nothing more but a common freak show."

"Hey!" Lee and Suoh looked to him. Naruto glared at the old man. "You can't do that!"

Suoh rose his chin forcefully. "I _can_ do that. Gai knows that and he knows that.

Naruto smirked back at him, dangerously so. "You haven't been hearing me, have you, old man? I'm Naruto _Uzumaki_, heir to one of the greatest companies in this country! And his boyfriend is Gaara no _Sabaku_, heir to the second biggest company in this country and he's already boss around the scenes."

"Naruto." Lee's voice was slightly sharp beneath his worry. "I will not depend upon yours and Gaara's wealth status for this!"

"Why not?" Suoh was picking up his coat from the back of his chair, his lip curled in a hateful grimace. "A whore does flock to money such as a mouse to cheese." He glowered at Naruto. "You are officially the luckless owner of a worthless bastard child. Make his boyfriend your co owner and both of you have fun with it." He walked out, simply as that.

There was a very long moment of silence… And than another awkward one… And then a deep sigh from Lee as he shifted uncomfortably. "I will go tell Uncle Gai that he has left."

"Where is he, anyway? That was a real long time to get a few napkins."

"He is in the basement with the training equipment working off frustration… Most likely."

"He left you to deal with that ass hole alone?" Naruto was honestly horrified.

"He knew I had a greater liability to deal with my grandfather alone. He has tried standing with me two times before, and it always ended with my grandfather sending me back home with him. The times he does not stay, my grandfather does not remove me."

Naruto blinked, not really understanding the sense in that. Finally, he turned his head to the ground. "Why didn't you tell us about that?"

"About what?"

"He slapped you!… Twice! Like he knew exactly what he was doing! I'm not stupid, fuzzy brows!… How often has he beaten you?"

Lee had his face turned away. "It does not matter, Naruto… What matters is that you may have saved me from ever having to meet him again."

"Yeah, but now he thinks your our bitch."

"He is always certain that I am someone's concubine."

Naruto grinded his teeth together. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why did you not tell me that I was sitting with two of the countries most exceptional business heirs?"

"This is entirely different, fuzzy brows!"

"How so?" Lee sounded honestly curious.

Naruto snarled at him now. "You don't actually care for our status or wealth! We give a damn about you! That's the difference! Believe it!"

Lee blinked and looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. They were teary. "I did not mean for any of you to ever find out… I did not want any of you to realize how my own family saw me."

"Well I know, fuzzy brows. And I think you have to be pretty damn strong to have lived with that guy for most of your life! Are you telling me you lived with him when I knew you back then too? Your grandma must have been alive!"

Lee shook his head. "She died when I was in third grade… You and I did not start hanging out till fourth until you moved away. Before that, we were only passing acquaintances."

There was another long moment of silence. "Naruto?"

"Yeah, fuzzy brows?"

"Why did Gaara never tell me?"

Naruto stared at his now cold pasta. "… I don't know…"

"… Ah…" Lee clenched his hands into the table cloth. "I see… Please do not tell him that I know… I want him to tell me when he is ready to."

Naruto was silent for another minute. "… Alright, fuzzy brows." He walked away from the table, weaving his fingers behind his head. "I guess it's time for me to head home. See ya tomorrow, fuzzy brows!"

Lee walked him to the door, smiling in his familiar way at him. "It was good to see you, Naruto. Do you want me to bring extra curry tomorrow for you?"

Naruto smirked. "Hell yeah! I'm gonna eat it all this time, better believe it!"

Lee nodded as he closed the door softly behind Naruto. The moment it was shut, the blonde's grin disappeared.

He walked to his own home, not really paying any attention as he entered the grand fixture. It didn't mean much to him, though it had four years ago when he had first been led into it. He hadn't always known that he was filthy rich or that his dad was this awesome dude that had been killed in a business war, giving up his life for Naruto who had only been a small, small baby then. The gang member who had capped him had been named 'Kyuubi', and Naruto still wished he could kill the bastard.

He threw himself onto his bed and stared without seeing at the ceiling. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed Sakura.

She picked up on the third second of her ringtone 'Put a ring on it'. "Naruto?"

"Sakura, he was a fucking ass!"

Silence. "What? Who are you talking about?"

"fuzzy brow's grandpa! Dude, he slapped fuzzy brows twice because he admitted to being in a relationship! For _standing_ _up_ for Gaara! He was a bastard! He called fuzzy brows a whore and all but sold him to me when I told'im that Gaara and I aren't the people he wants to mess with!"

"… Naruto, this all means a lot to me, but I don't honestly think I know what this about… What happened?"

"Okay, I get to fuzzy brow's house to give him the gift, alright? He answers the door and he's dressed like a guy! His grandpa comes out screaming and pretty much licks my shoes when he finds out who I am and then treats fuzzy brows like shit! Hell, he was so bad, fuzzier brows broke a glass and then wouldn't come back up until he left!"

"… _What_!"

"You don't know the half of it! Fuzzier brows doesn't have custody of fuzzy brows! And that means that his grandpa can take him back at any time! The moment his grandpa learned about him being in a relationship with Gaara and still wearing girl clothes, he tried to cart him out of there just after saying how much he didn't want fuzzy brows anywhere near him! With how he slapped him, I know fuzzy brows was abused at his old house!"

There was a creaking, threatening sound. Naruto frowned around his venting. "Hey, Sakura, are you okay over there?"

"… Not anymore!" She sounded pissed. "Tell Lee we're behind him all the way and that we'll fight for him!"

Naruto shook his head despite the fact that Sakura couldn't see him. "That's not what I meant… I thought I heard something…."

"_It is a crime punishable to touch my pet; it is a crime worth killing over to harm him._" Naruto snapped up in his bed to look at the golden eyed, smirking redhead at the entrance to his bathroom.

'_Oh shit!_' Gaara must have been waiting in his room for him! Every once in a while, Gaara did that to all his friends. Usually, he didn't say a word. He just stared at them go about their bedroom life without comment or expression as he thought something more complicated than usual out by himself.

And now Gaara had heard every word he had just said… and now Naruto was facing Shukaku.

"Hey, sorry Sakura, gotta go now!" He snapped the phone shut without waiting for her reply. She was going to kill him tomorrow, but he had to make sure Gaara didn't kill anyone tonight!

"_Shukaku!"_


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter Nineteen_

Lee sat at his window, watching the snowstorm outside. It came down in thick sheets and he could hardly even see the road that was no more than fifty feet from his front door.

His Uncle must be having a blast. He had, after holding Lee for a while and declaring how horrid his grandfather was, had to take a few deep calming breaths and begun pacing. At the exact moment Lee was about to ask if they could go for a late jog, his uncle's lover had called and asked him to come over.

Lee had been all too happy to send his weeping uncle off to spend the night with his most special person, and his Uncle had been powerless beneath his acceptance and had left only seven minutes ago before the heavy storm.

It always took his Uncle 15 minutes to get to his lover's. If Lee was right, his uncle was having the time of his life struggling through the snow drifts in a spring jacket and spandex pants. And Lee meant that in a good way as well.

His doorbell rang and he stood to his feet, curious to who could be at his door this time of night. He checked his alarm clock to make certain he was right.

A guest at two in the morning? Something must be terribly wrong… Or there was another slumber party he had not been told of… He frowned at the thought and trotted down the stairs to his front door. He unlocked it and peeked around the heavy wood. His eyes widened and he thrust it wide open. "Gaara! You are soaked!… And bleeding!" There was a trickle of blood coming from his hairline over his temple.

He grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him in, shutting the door behind him. "What happened, Gaara?" He dragged his boyfriend up the stairs to the bathroom, sitting the redhead down on the toilet as he grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped it around Gaara's head, rubbing furiously. "We have to get you dry! And then we must dress that wound. And then you must tell me what happened and why you are here- though I am very happy to see you."

He dried his hair and grabbed another towel, setting it down by Gaara and turning his back. "Could you please change out of your clothes? They are sodden and I do not want you to catch a cold." He waited.

Behind him, he heard clothes being shaken and the wet sliding sound of soaked, sticking fabrics being forced apart.

He felt him before he heard him. He peeked over his shoulder with one narrowed eye, ready to snap it shut at any moment if need be.

Both slid wide open and he flushed. His body turned with his head to ogle his boyfriend. "Gaara?"

The redhead stood directly behind him, completely naked. Lee's heart thundered and he could not stop his eyes from wandering. His chest was thick… Unblemished and pale with two small rosy buds. There were goose bumps risen over his upper torso…

The moment his gaze began to wander even further down, he forced himself to look up. Gaara was watching him watch him. Lee flushed deeper. "Gaara?" His voice cracked, but it was also full of concern.

His boyfriend stepped forward. One step… Two step… They were touching from chest to hip. Gaara looked as if he wanted to say something, but there was confusion in his narrowed eyes and his jaw worked though no words were spoken.

Lee waited, his own eyes searching from one grey/teal eye to the other. "What is wrong?" Naked bodies forgotten, if only because there was something about his boyfriend in this moment that frightened him. He was… uneasy. Gaara. On edge. A chilling prospect.

He laid a hand to Gaara's cheek, hissing when he felt how cold it was. "Gaara, how long have you been outside?" His hand snapped out to the towel rack and grabbed his own, draping it over Gaara's shoulders and rubbing a corner to each cheek.

Gaara blinked and it was like watching him come back into his body. Even if he was not aware of it, his body began shivering and Lee pressed as close as he could to try and warm him.

"… What time is it?" His voice graveled and was just above a whisper. Gaara looked around the bathroom, as if looking for the time himself.

Lee stroked back his soaked red locks, afeard. "It is just pass two in the morning… Why? Gaara, what happened?"

"I left Naruto's at six."

Lee tilted his head. "Okay…?"

"How long have I been here?"

Now Lee felt his heart thundering, but it wasn't out of lust anymore. He held Gaara's face between his hands and made the redhead look at him… Or through him, Lee wasn't quite certain when grey teal eyes finally went in his direction. "Gaara, you just got here a few minutes ago."

Gaara blinked slowly. Lee literally saw him come back to himself and it was like staring at a disapproving other instead of the lost boy just a moment ago. "Why are you in a relationship with me?"

Lee blinked, frowning as he tried to make that question make sense. His shoulders sagged as he realized what it was about. "Naruto told you?"

"Naruto told Sakura. He wasn't aware of me."

"Ah…" He ran the towel through Gaara's hair, drying it spike by spike and watching his progress. "How much do you know?" If it had been Sakura Naruto had been talking to, would he have said that Lee now knew who Gaara was?

"Enough." Gaara stared at him still.

"… How much is 'enough'?" Lee let the towel fall over Gaara's head to rub at his scalp.

"We have secrets."

"We should resolve those." Lee agreed, smiling just a little bit. "What is bothering you right now, though?"

"You have everything now. In one moment, your everything was threatened. You were nearly taken away…"

Lee swore he was glowing. Gaara cared that much? Tears swam in Lee's eyes. "Yes, but I am still here-"

"Because of me."

Lee blinked. Two tears slid down his cheeks, but nothing more as he frowned. "What?" He lifted the hem of the towel to look at Gaara from under it. Gaara met his eyes in the shadowed light. "Wait a moment, Gaara, are you blaming this on yourself?"

Gaara's arms came out slowly and enveloped Lee's waist, not pulling, not even holding, but just barely touching him. "He can't take you."

Lee wrapped an arm around his back and held just as lightly, still rubbing his hair with the other hand. "He can, Gaara, and that is the frightening part. But he did not take me and I like to focus on that instead of what could have happened. As a matter of fact, I do not think he will come back… Not when knowing who my friends are." He tried to laugh but it was a sad, snorting sound.

Gaara stared at him. "… I'm cold."

Lee felt tears well again, but they were not out of happiness. "I know, Gaara."

He dropped the towel around Gaara's shoulders, grabbing onto his wrists gently in the process. "Come on, Gaara… I think I can find something of Uncle Gai's for you to wear until your clothes are done in the laundry."

He ushered his boyfriend to his room, sitting the redhead down on the bed and dropping a towel over his lap before looking back down at him. Lee had boy clothes, true… Not many of them, but he did.

However, he had no shirt that would fit his boyfriend. He was taller than the redhead by possibly an inch or two, but he was thin as a twig. Gaara, however, was not. From shoulder to shoulder, he was big enough to make a quarterback frightened.

Luckily, so was his Uncle. On Gaara, his Uncle's clothes should actually be loose.

He hurried out of the room, jogging to the laundry room with Gaara's wet clothes in hand. He put them in the dryer and grabbed a pair of one of his own sweat pants and then snagged one of his Uncle's sweaters.

He ran back up the stairs and Gaara hadn't moved an inch. He approached him slowly, handing out the clothes to him. "Gaara, could you please put these on? It will help you get warmer faster, and it will make me more comfortable."

Gaara looked up to him from some spot on the floor. And then he looked to the clothes with absolutely no interest.

He reached out and grabbed Lee's wrist instead, jerking hard. Lee tripped and fell forward, guided by Gaara to land to the side of him on the bed. Gaara rolled over and Lee was looking up at his boyfriend as his boyfriend stared down at him. Gaara held onto his wrists on either side of his head and had one leg between Lee's thighs and the other to the right of his side.

His boyfriend… naked… over him….

Lee became scarlet in the face and squeaked pathetically, a delayed reaction of surprise. "Gaara? What are you doing?"

"You are mine." He made it a fact instead of an opinion. "He can not take you away, you are mine."

Lee's heart skipped a beat. "Gaara, we are not talking about a love rival, we are talking about my grandfather. You make it sound as if I could fall in love with him and leave you."

"He could make you leave. You have no legal ties here. He could take you back and break you." One hand came away from one wrist and a finger drifted over one cheek while the eyes focused on the other. "He's bruised you already and you were with him for no more than a few hours."

Lee smiled, though he felt no joy. "How much did Naruto tell you again?"

"Enough."

"Enough for what?"

"Enough."

Lee took his freed hand and petted red hair, slicking back the wet locks before they fell limply wild again. "Well, I am alright. I am here, and I am not leaving anytime soon." He leaned up, pressing his lips not to Gaara's, but to the corner of them. There was something far more intimate than the actual touch of lips; the lust that came with waiting. With knowing and loving.

He curled his leg around Gaara's hip and left butterfly kisses over his cheeks and nose, smiling softly. When their lips finally touched, something erupted. He moaned and electricity danced over their lips, making breathing so difficult and both their hearts thump and gallop in unison.

Lee tugged his other hand free and wrapped both around his shoulders, holding him as close to him as skin would allow. He arched his upper body up and whimpered when Gaara's guttural voice growled against his lips, making a shiver race down his spine and curl his tones. He wrapped both legs around Gaara's waist and held on for dear life, feeling cold bare skin against his naked legs. Boy shorts were not something entirely smart to wear on a cold day, but he was far too used to it to stop now. Even now.

Their tongues lolled and tied together, teeth met and nipped at each other. Lips became dark and bruised, but they meshed together anyway even when it hurt. Lee's eyes slid close, but Gaara kept his just barely open, studying everything, watching, speculating… wanting more.

He grabbed Lee's one hip and pushed it back against him, working on some feral instinct that demanded he be flamboyant with his want, that he show Lee what he was in for. That he tease his lover.

Lee gasped and arched into his hand and therefore against his erection. Lee groaned and his nails dug into the back of Gaara's neck as his boyfriend's unclothed erection pushed against his own clad one. He wiggled and undulated, but there was nothing he could do to break the tension that was now an iron knot in his belly; it all only made it worse.

He bucked his hips and pushed onto his other shoulder, overcoming Gaara to sit on his lap. He sat up and all but purred as he looked down at his predator/prey. Gaara held his hips in two steely hands and Lee stroked his hands over Gaara's chest, rubbing it in places where it felt colder than everywhere else. He squirmed and this time it was on purpose. Gaara's hips bucked up against the crease of his buttocks and Lee bent over him to keep his lips. He moaned when Gaara not only met his lips, but devoured them. Lee felt himself falling… falling…. falling…

"Gaara, please!" He clawed at Gaara's back, leaving behind long red welts. "Now! Tonight!" He attacked Gaara's lips, feeling teeth bite behind them with how hard he clapped their mouths together. "Oh, Gaara…" He squeezed his thighs and grated his hips down, whimpering at the feeling of Gaara so very close to him, feeling Gaara with so much euphoria.

Gaara turned them again, leaving hot, open mouth kisses down from Lee's lips to his jaw to his pulse to his collarbone to his chest to one nipple. He suckled and bit and all but tried to consume it. Through Lee's nightshirt, that was an amazing, unbeatable feeling. He cried out and jutted his chest into Gaara's mouth, rubbing his leg from Gaara's side to his hip and then back again. "Gaara, Gaara, Gaara, Gaara… Nngh!" He bit on the knuckles of one hand and the other clenched into his bed sheets.

The sweatpants and sweater fell to the floor, forgotten.

Lee balanced on his shoulders and flexed his lower muscles, gasping for air as their nether regions grinded against each other.

Gaara switched to the other nipple and palmed the other, his other hand urging Lee to thrust harder even as he slogged his own hips down harder. Gaara pulled away for only a moment and that was to scrutinize Lee's shirt.

Lee, eyes dazed, lips swollen, body heaving, did not understand why until Gaara grabbed one lapel of it the pajama top. Lee moaned before he could try and curb his boyfriend. "G-Gaara, nooooo-" Yet he did not put up much of a fight when his shirt was ripped in two, buttons flying every which way. Lee turned his head to bite onto his own knuckles, whimpering deep in his chest as he spread his legs wide and pushed up against Gaara again.

His chest bare, Gaara's tongue scolded his skin as it dipped between each rib, all the more visible with each deep, shaky intake of breath Lee took. Lee dragged his fingers through his hair and giggled when Gaara nibbled on one particularly ticklish spot. "Gaara!" He wiggled and the giggle turned into a full out laugh as Gaara tormented the sensitive nerves. "That tickles!" He squirmed and trailed his fingers in circles over Gaara's shoulder blades. "I thought we were going to make each other moan, not laugh!" Gaara bit down on the spot and Lee squealed before erupting into even louder laughter, tears building in the corner of his eyes.

Laughter turned into a boisterous cry as Gaara twisted his head and bit down on a rib bone. His hands pulled at Gaara's hair and he groaned. "G-Gaara!" He whined.

Gaara looked back up at him and his eyes were so fixated and bestial, Lee shivered all over. Gaara sat up and drag Lee with him. Sitting on his knees, he pulled Lee into his lap and drove his hips up against him. Lee's head fell back and Gaara's dropped to rest in the junction of Lee's shoulder. Lee kissed the side of his face, dropping his hips against Gaara in time of Gaara pushing up against him.

"Gaara… Ooooohhhh… You make me feel so good, Gaara…" Lee licked the shell of his ear, his cheeks a bright, deep scarlet. "Gaara…" He clenched Gaara's shoulders in each hand and it was like that rainstorm months ago. A dance more intimate than a dance, but so harmonious and pulsing to be anything else.

Lee gasped and groaned and it was like a song to go with their rhythm. "G-Gaara! I am… so close!" Gaara pushed his arms away and pulled the remnants of his nightshirt off of him at the same time. It fell to the bed and Gaara licked from Lee's collarbone over his shoulder and then lifted his arm to nip at the inside of his elbow. Lee laid his head down on Gaara's shoulder, keeping a rough, fast tempo as he bounced up and down.

"G-Gaar-aaaaa… Wan'em off!" He was talking about his shorts. He wanted to feel Gaara skin to skin!

Gaara dropped him onto the bed again, crawling backwards off of it with his hands in the elastic waistband of Lee's shorts. They slid down Lee's endless legs with every inch Gaara pulled back. Lee balanced on his upper back when his shorts reached his knees, pulling his legs back so that they would come off faster. His breath stuck in his throat as Gaara dropped his head and followed the shorts down his legs.

They came off and Gaara was sucking around his ankle, his other hand not holding his calf caressing the underside of his thigh. "Gaara… Wanna touch too!" Lee wigged furiously until Gaara draped himself over Lee again, clashing lips and tongues as their hands traveled.

Lee was not unmarred and yet Lee was flabbergasted to realize that… neither was Gaara. His hands trailed, mapped, tracked each scar he felt across Gaara's back. Mouth wide open, he searched his boyfriend's eyes again. "Gaara…?" What happened to his most special person!

Gaara shook his head and captured his lips again. "Father." It was all he said and then he was tracing Lee's own scars. Unlike Gaara's, they were not limited to his back. They snaked over the back of his legs, the soles of his feet, over his shoulders, and some over his chest. His grandfather had been smart to know where most would not look but some of the students at Sound had not been so.

Gaara didn't ask. He knew. He dipped his head and kissed each, a gentle touch that made Lee want to cry and beg for more in the same moment. Lee fell against the bed and watched him, biting his bottom lip and smiling a little. He was going to have his turn… and then he was going to cherish each of Gaara's scars as well!

Lee rested both hands above his head, staring down at the crown of Gaara's head as he followed one particularly wicked scar down. That day, Kimimaro had caught him off guard, and that was what it had cost him. Now, Gaara bathed it with his tongue and kissed it with so much care and adoration…

Gaara stalked back up his body and wrested with Lee's mouth, their lips aching and sensitive, thick and blushed. Lee smiled as he kissed back softly, resting a hand to one of Gaara's shoulders and kneading it… right before he rolled away from him, yelping once when his erection pushed against the bed and then smirking, balanced on both hands and knees. He put both hands to Gaara's shoulders and pushed his chest to the bed. "My turn, Gaara…" His mouth descended and he doted on each and every scar. There were 16 in all and each ranged from the length of his forearm to stretch from one shoulder to the opposite hip. Gaara had not only been beaten, he had been _tortured_.

It was two minutes before Gaara snapped an arm out and swept Lee beneath it to press half of his chest to Gaara's. "Lee, lubrication."

Lee blinked for a moment, his chest shuttering with each breath and his hips swiveling even though there was nothing to meet him. His eyes widened when the meaning behind Gaara's words finally broke through his foggy mind.

_Sex_. They were going to make love! Actual intercourse! _Penetration_!

Lee sat up, shifting to his hands and knees again to reach his bedside drawer where a hand lotion bottle rested next to his lamp. He gasped and groaned when Gaara took advantage of his position to be attentive to his buttocks. Lee felt a chunk of his own flesh engulfed by heat and fire and a rough, hard damp tongue bathed it. He yelped when Gaara bit down, looking at his boyfriend over his shoulder. "Gaaaraaa!" He grabbed the hand lotion and tried to shimmy away from Gaara.

"Gaara, please… This is our first time… And I want it to be unforgettable…" He smiled back at Gaara as the redhead allowed him to slip out of his one arm and his mouth.

Alone with himself now (in a sense, anyway), Lee stared down at the hand lotion and then to his opposite hand. He was the average teenage boy… He had had wet dreams and he had masturbated… but he had never penetrated himself. For him, that was his special thing to give away. Now, he just did not know what to do. Did he turn away from Gaara and prepare himself? Does he just prepare himself with his back to Gaara so he could watch? Does he let Gaara do it for him?

He was so confused and yet Gaara never changed expression as he stared at him. "Let me watch."

Lee looked at Gaara with wide eyes. "What?" He whispered.

Gaara met his eyes and his tongue dragged over his upper lip. Between his legs, Lee could see his erection actually _throbbing_. His throat went dry and he started bouncing his hips again, trying to find something to sustain himself on.

"Let me watch. I want to see you stretch yourself open for me." Lee bit his bottom lip and stood on his knees. He eyed Gaara for a moment, turning impossibly red as he did so. To begin with, he coated three fingers with the lotion and reached behind himself, his back to Gaara so that he saw everything. His heart was beating at an unhealthily fast rate in his chest, but he would not stop.

They should have begun smaller. Hand jobs. Oral jobs. Digital penetration… Yet the fire of youth was burning far too bright!

He poked at his orifice with one finger, pushing it in gently at first. He wiggled a little and hissed low in his throat at the uncomfortable sensation. Not painful, but not the greatest feeling either. He took his hand back and slathered them in lotion before rubbing a finger around the orifice first.

Amazingly, it made a world of difference. One finger slid in and it was almost effortless. His mouth gaped open and his back arched out as he plunged just that one finger in and out of himself. A minute or so later, whining low in his throat, he added a second. It was a little more awkward and he had to twist them a bit to find the right angle to come in at. He gasped and his tempo increased.

"Nnnn- Ngh! Gaara! It hurts!" It wasn't a complaint; it wasn't his fingers that hurt. Something inside of him that had been coiling tightly felt as if was tearing, making him pulse front and back and he plunged down hard on the two fingers. He added a third, whimpering loudly as he didn't give himself time to get used to it and merely dropped down onto them. He cried out and gave Gaara a desperate, needy look over his shoulder.

"Gaara, please! Now! I can not take any more! Please! Please!"

"No."

Lee whimpered. "Why?"

Gaara was watching him work himself over more than him. "This is our first time. I don't want you to hurt."

Lee took his fingers out of himself and rested his head down onto his forearms. "Than check for yourself… Please, Gaara…" His 'youth juice' as his Uncle had once called it during a very, very awkward conversation, was going to be coming whether Gaara penetrated him or not!

Gaara blinked, as if that had been the last thing he had expected, and then he did come to Lee. He kneeled behind him. His hands went out and he coated four fingers in the hand lotion. He grabbed one ass cheek and pulled it away from the other, studying Lee's gaping entrance for one critical moment. Already, the muscles were tightening. He teased one finger in, feeling Lee squeeze hungrily around him. And then he shoved the other three in.

Lee threw his head back and screamed, pushing himself back onto Gaara even as he bit his lip and winced. "Too fast, Gaara! Please, a little slower…"

Gaara did so instantly. His fingers inched back and forth until Lee was sobbing. Just one more touch and he was done for! If he did not orgasm soon, he was going to die! He was going to burst into dozens of thousands of tiny pieces and then he was going to die! "Gaaaaaaarrrrraaaaaa! So close! M'not gonna make it!"

Gaara leaned over him and kissed his shoulder. "Ready?"

Lee nodded fervently. "Yosh! Now, Gaara! Oh, please, now…" He felt the head of Gaara's erection against him, felt his teeth touch his shoulder… and that was it.

In the moment Gaara slid into him, one fluid thrust that only placed half of his erection into Lee's tight butt, Lee had experienced his first explosive orgasm. He screamed as his head dropped down onto his bed and he bit the bedcovers. He came in one long burst after another, ejaculating over his bed.

There was a pause over him. Gaara began to actually back out of him and Lee whined low in his throat, feeling complete and numb and hot. He clenched his inner muscles around his boyfriend… lover. "No, Gaara… Cum." His body felt like jello, but he pushed back onto Gaara anyway. In his boneless state, he felt Gaara slowly begin to meet each push with a thrust. When he felt skin against the curve of his butt, Gaara's teeth digging into his shoulder and a growl on his lover's lips, he was _in bliss_.

As Gaara continued loving him, Lee felt the aftershocks turn into something more intense… The fire being rekindled and it began burning brighter than before. He moaned and the sound vibrated with each of Gaara's thrusts. It was the… strangest and yet greatest feeling ever. His body dragged at Gaara's erection, grappling it deeper and only reluctantly attempting to push him back out. Gaara plunged deep and it struck something in him that made him cry out.

His hands twisted into the bed covers and his body writhes. "There! Gaara, please, there!" He struck there… Time and time and time and so many times over again.

Lee didn't even have air to scream with as he came a second time, harder than the first and with tears in the corner of his eyes. Gaara's teeth broke the skin of his shoulder and his hips pumped so hard, Lee cried out again just for that one plunge. The bed jerked and he felt his insides being bathed by a liquid heat.

They panted, Gaara's heart a drum against his back and Lee's own heart a hummingbird in his chest. "Gaara…" It was a sleepy mumble.

Gaara slid out of him, making them both groan and Lee clawed weakly at the bedcovers. He fell onto his back and Lee wiggled languidly to press into his side. "… That was amazing…" Short and intense and all new, but that was what first times were about. It was acting on instinct and examples and then experiencing it all with awe and astonishment.

Gaara said nothing, only resting his chin over Lee's head and sighing deeply, contently. His heart had calmed and now it was a peaceful beat in his chest. Lee petted his hairless chest with his fingertips, tracing random designs over it. "Gaara?"

"Mm?"

Lee draped a leg over Gaara's and petted a thumb over his bottom lip, feeling proud and smug with how sore it looked. Lee ran his tongue over his own bottom lip and had to admit his own _felt sore. It was an amazing feeling._

"_Are you sleepy now?"_

"_Mm."_

_Lee smiled, turning his face up to nuzzle Gaara's jaw. "Good… Sleep with me?"_

_Gaara didn't answer. He held Lee close to him and kissed his temple. Lee glowed, even when just seconds away from sleep. "Thank you, Gaara… Gaara?" Nothing, but Lee was aware on some level that Gaara was listening. "You are warm now…" And promptly fell asleep, exhausted and happy._


	22. Chapter 22

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

Gai stretched languidly, a smug grin on his face as he performed a few sit-ups on the bed. He slid out of via the unoccupied side and stretched again, crisscrossing his arms behind his back and listening contently to bones popping back into place.

"Leaving so soon?" He chuckled and looked behind himself to his lover. Grey-blue eyes were watching the muscles of his back and a pale, built chest glimmered in the near darkness of the room. A thick head of white defied gravity and glowed.

"My nephew needs me, Kakashi…" The smile remained, but it was lifeless with his eyes so blank and sad. "My sister's father-in-law threatened him again."

Kakashi sat up in the bed and slid to Gai's side of his bed. He put his feet to the ground as well, but with Gai sitting between his legs. "Yes, but he all but pushed you out the door to come here." Kakashi rubbed a hand against Gai's one nipple and rested his chin on Gai's shoulder.

Gai sighed. "I know, but he needs me right now despite what he thinks. I think I have given him enough time to himself." He went to stand.

Kakashi clenched his arms tight around his waist and jerked him back down onto his lap. He smiled at Gai, revealing white teeth. Without his surgical mask, he was a beautiful man, despite the scar that ran from his one temple over his left eye and then cut through his upper lip. Actually, it made him more than beautiful. It made him _irresistible_.

Gai, however, had his mind set. Which was a deadly force all its own. "Kakashi! Unhand me." He stood again, prepared for Kakashi trying to bring him back down and twisting himself out of his lover's arms. "Another time, my most special person." Despite the situation, he smiled and it was full of love. "Another time."

Yes, Kakashi was a pervert that flirted with anything that walked on two legs and he read porn, but there was one thing Gai had in Kakashi that so many other couples didn't. Gai had his loyalty, his promise never to cheat on him with anyone and his devotion. He had a dirty mind, but a good heart.

Gai leaned down and picked his clothes off of the floor, sliding his shirt over his chest and stepping into his spandex pants after pulling on his green elastic thong. He went back to his lover and kissed him long and deep before slipping out of the room and jogging down the stairs, careful every other step because of the sting between his legs. Well, he had given Kakashi his own as well so everyone was even!

He opened the door and stared outside. Slowly, he looked down to where a mound of snow had fallen through the opening.

He had to force the door close again and then put his back to it to keep it shut as he locked the knob. "Kakashi! It is winter wonderland out there!"

Kakashi, standing at the top of the stairs naked as the day he was born, chuckled and smiled down at him. "Is that so?"

An epiphany hit Gai right between the eyes. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" He wasn't certain whether to be amused or furious.

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps… Perhaps not…. I _might had checked the weather channel two minutes before inviting you over, but it is such a fuzzy memory…" _

_Gai ran up the stairs and tackled his lover to the wall. "But my nephew needs me!" He shook Kakashi by his shoulders. "He needs me!" Kakashi's head snapped back and forth on his neck._

"_You need a break." Kakashi grabbed his jaw with one hand and his hip with the other, pushing back against Gai's hands and kissing him hard. Gai's hands slid from his shoulders to wrap around his neck._

"_Mmmmmhhh…" He opened his mouth and their tongues tangoed. _

_Kakashi separated from him only the width of a finger away. "I win?"_

_Gai huffed. "Fine! You win… Only this round, however! This is but a battle in a war and I shall conquer the war still! YO- MMH!" Kakashi stole his tongue between his teeth and that was the last of the conversation._


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter Twenty-Two: _

He was awoken by heat. Burning, all encompassing, scorching heat. Covering his skin, twisting his innards, making his mouth dry and his eyes tear.

His hips were bucking up and something damp and sweltering was sucking around him. His eyes fluttered open, his lungs on fire. Gasping for breath, he looked down his body. "G-Gaara!" His head fell back against his pillow and his hands scrabbled at Gaara's hair.

All air in his lungs seemed to dissipate all in one moment as Gaara licked the slit of his erection. "NNNNNAH! Gaa-aara!" His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body shuddered. His hips bucked forcefully up into Gaara's mouth and he came hard. He whimpered when he felt Gaara continue to swallow around him, his one hand stroking Lee's inner thigh.

Lee groaned. "Gaara… That was a wonderful way to wake up…" He was sweating, chest heaving and muscles trembling. He smiled down at his lover, even as his cheeks darkened. "Gaara… Your turn."

He looked down Gaara's body as the redhead sat back on his knees. His lips suddenly felt parched and he had to lick them. He would be lying if he said he did not want to try.

He met Gaara's heated eyes with his own voracious one. "Lay back, Gaara…" He pushed a gentle hand against his lover's chest even as he spoke, urging Gaara to lie down. From his chest, his hand whispered and tapped down his midriff to his hips and then tiptoed around his raised member. Lee bit his lip as he studied it.

He had to squirm a bit before he was back far enough to lower his mouth close to him. His hand wrapped around the erection and he was in awe. _This_ had been inside of him last night! _This _had given them both so much pleasure. He licked the head of the shaft, acquiring a taste for it. Musky and salty. Lee licked his lips and enveloped the head, rubbing his tongue against it. It reminded him of spices!

Gaara shuddered and one leg came up, supporting Gaara as he bucked slightly. Lee moaned and nibbled on the soft, hot sensitive skin just beneath the head.

Gaara wrapped a hand into his hair. "No teeth." Lee instantly stopped and pulled away, pressing a kiss to where he had nibbled before wrapping his mouth around the side of his erection, moaning at the taste of feel of it. Gaara shook. A light entered Lee's eyes and he began humming on the side, inching up and down around it while sending vibrations through the soft skin to the harder, unbending center. Gaara groaned and now Lee trembled with how that sound made him feel.

"Lee…" Gaara reached down and wrapped a hand around the base of his cock, staring down at Lee. "Suckle me. Please."

Lee's eyes widened in surprise. Somehow, even though already scarlet, he still flushed darker. And then he smiled, holding a hand around Gaara's. Opening his mouth, he took in just the head again. He popped it out. He took a deep breath and then took as much of Gaara's cock down his throat as was possible, their thumbs pressing to his face he took so much. He moaned and Gaara shook underneath his touch again.

Gaara took his hand away and brought Lee's with him, holding them off to the side. Lee took the initiative and (so very, very happy for little gag reflex) bobbed his head down until he could not take anymore down his throat, his nose tickled by Gaara's pubic hairs. He swallowed around him and then began sucking.

"Lee…" His guttural voice was pleased and demanding in the same moment. His hand not holding Lee's combed back his ebony hair.

Lee squeezed his throat muscles around Gaara and began bobbing fast, a perfect mimic of the actions they had partaken in last night. Perhaps too reminiscent of it. Though Lee wasn't complaining.

He cried out happily around Gaara's cock right before gagging for a moment, having Gaara's seed beat against the back of his throat and shoot down his esophagus without him being able to do anything about it. He had to pull back to cough, what essence still spurting catching him across the chin and cheek before he slid his lips over Gaara's head and swallowed more comfortably, if not with tears in his eyes from the earlier choking.

When Gaara was spent, he released his member with a 'pop'. Sitting back, he used his thumb to wipe the cum off of his face and then licked his thumb clean. Gaara watched him and it was a fiery, unforgettable look of carnal lust and searing possessiveness.

Gaara sat up as well and Lee tucked himself into his side, in bliss and so very content. He kissed Gaara's cheek and then his lips, a tame intimacy compared to the war of mouth the night before. When they separated, Lee looked dazedly away towards the window where some light was filtering through. Not a lot since it was just January but it was clearly daylight-

"Gaara! My alarm clock! We slept in!" It was Friday! A _school_ day! And with the days shorter now, it had to be around eight! School would have already started! Why hadn't his alarm clock gone off! This was his fault for staying up till two in the morning, wasn't it?

Lee tripped over his own bed sheets as he tried to run out of the bed. Half-way on the ground, half on the bed after a very painful crash, Gaara slid gracefully from the bed and kneeled down next to Lee' fallen form. "I turned your alarm off. You needed the rest."

Lee gawked at him as if he had suddenly grown three extra heads and a tail to go with them. "What?" He sounded more shocked than disbelieving. "Gaara, I can not miss school! It was considerate of you, truly it was, but I can not just skip!"

"School was canceled."

All arguments Lee had flew out the window. "It was? Why? How did you find out?"

Gaara cocked his head towards the window and Lee stood to his feet to look out of it. "… Oh…" The street was discernable from the sidewalk and even now a snow plow was struggling to make a path and going at a sluggish rate to do so. Studying the predicament, Lee could guess that the snow had risen to at least eight inches if not more. As he watched, more snow fell and it took him moments to tell the cars from another mound of snow. "… I do not think there is any school today, Gaara…"

He shivered. Cold, he wrapped his arms around himself and scrambled back to his bed, lifting up his bed covers to hide beneath them. He blinked. They felt already warm… Kind to think about it, they had already been thrown back and Lee had not been lying on them when he had… been awoken. That was strange because he could have sworn they fell asleep on top of the covers…

Sitting up, he studied the uppermost blanket. There should have been white stains on it from where the cum had landed, but all that was were wet spots. As if someone had taken the time to scrub them out.

Lee looked to Gaara, uncertain how to feel. "Did you get any sleep last night, Gaara?"

Gaara came onto the bed, naked still as he sat on top of the covers. "I'm an insomniac."

Lee stroked his cheek. "Not even an hour?"

"A few minutes."

Lee sighed and pulled Gaara off of the covers to wrap them around him instead. His skin was cold again.

Lee wrapped his arms around Gaara and held him to him, rubbing his hands up and down his back to try and warm him again.

There was a knock from the door.

Surprised, Lee pulled back to look Gaara in the eyes, frowning slightly. "Who could that be in this weather?" Gaara didn't answer him, but Lee hadn't expected one. He released Gaara to crawl out of the bed, shivering in the cold air as he scurried to his dresser and pulled out a pair of yoga pants.

He paused and scissored his legs. Something was not right about this… When he realized what, his entire body turned a brick red. "Gaara." His voice was a cute squeak. "What all did you do while I was sleeping?"

"I cleaned the bed and got my clothes from the dryer." Lee had figured that much out, though he still found the first awfully sweet of his lover. The clothes were flung carelessly over a chair near Lee's bed and Lee was certain he knew where Gaara had been while he had slept. "I got a wet washcloth from the bathroom and cleaned us off." Lee felt his heart stop in his chest. That explained the feeling between his legs! He had 'read things' and 'seen things' and even 'heard things' (Uncle Gai was very much against secrets). When any two people were done making love, _stuff_ was left behind. Stuff that _leaked_ out of _certain _areas. "And then put you under the covers. You were shivering."

Lee wiggled his bottom again and felt nothing except a slight strain and a hollowness. Lee raced over and kissed Gaara's forehead. "Thank you, my most special person."

The door was knocked again, impatiently and Lee swore he heard voices. Not just a voice, but _voices. He dragged the yoga pants on and reached for his nightshirt. He let it drop to the bed when he saw the disappearance of buttons upon it and remembered exactly what had happened to it. He grabbed his green sweater instead._

"_In a moment!" He raced out of the room with a final kiss to Gaara's lips and zipped down the stairs. He just narrowly avoided ramming straight into the door._

_He ripped it open and there stood the gang. Each and everyone of them wearing thick winter clothes and red noses and cheeks. Naruto was shivering and Chouji looked completely at home. Shikamaru looked bored and slightly irritated while Hinata was looking at Naruto with concern. Kiba was wearing a hoodie for a coat and Sakura stood in front of them all and there was a hidden fury in the back of her eyes. "Naruto told us! Do you want us to report him? Do you want to stay over at one of our houses? Are you okay?"_

"_Do you know where Gaara is?" Naruto sneezed and wiggled pass Lee into his home. "Heat!" _

"_Shoes, Naruto!" Naruto groaned and sat down on the bottom step to struggle pulling each soaked boot off of his sodden socks. The rest of the gang followed order._

"_Yeah, and that." Sakura agreed. "Naruto said Gaara went Shukaku last night and he had to hit him three times before he walked out of his house 'normal' again."_

_Lee flushed. "Yes, I know where he is… He is fine, I assure you all!" His smile was maybe a little too giddy and rapturous. _

_Kiba narrowed his eyes knowingly as a purely wolfish grin stretched his lips. "Oh, yeah? How fine is fine?" _

_Lee's head bounced as if it were a bauble head. "Very fine!"_

"_Him or how he is right now?" Either Lee looked mortified, or the very strange, very high-pitched squeak that left him was a pure give-away, because Kiba began barking with laughter and Sakura gasped. Hinata flushed darker than Lee ever had and Lee feared she would faint again._

_Naruto blinked, frowning. "I don't' get it."_

"_Gaara's here, you moron." Shikamaru sighed and rolled his shoulders, removing snow that had taken residence upon them. _

"_And they must have bumped uglies last night." Chouji pulled out from his large, thin coat seven packages of popcorn, 12 packets of hot cocoa, and two family sized bags of barbeque chips. Amazingly, Lee had not even realized Chouji had been carrying anything in that coat of his!_

_Naruto had a mental breakdown on the staircase. "EW! EW! DID NOT NEED TO HEAR THAT! I DON'T CARE WHAT FUZZY BROWS AND GAARA DO IN THEIR FREE TIME, BUT DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT! DAMN IT, I DID NOT WANT TO KNOW!" His hands slapped over his ears. "I'M NOT LISTENING! NOT LISTENING!"_

"_YOU TWO HAD SEX!" Sakura grabbed Lee and pulled him to her, meeting his eyes with anger. "You two had sex and no one told me?" _

_Lee gawped. "What?"_

"_You two aren't virgins anymore! I mean, did either of you use condoms?" _

_Lee was blown away by that question. They had both been virgins as Sakura had said and he doubted either of them were carrying anything contagious!_

"_Where is he? Did he treat you good? Did he prepare you? Are you okay? Why are you walking?"_

_Lee was dazed by now, watching Sakura shoot question after question as if he was not even himself anymore. "Uuummm…"_

"_Sakura." Lee blinked and looked up the stairs. Gaara wore his gothic bondage pants now but his shirt was thrown carelessly over one shoulder. "Leave him be." He sauntered down the stairs and Lee swore he had never seen a better sight._

_Unfortunately, the feeling was short lived. Sakura rounded on Gaara like a hurricane. "You pig! The first time is supposed to be special! Not some random night!"_

_Gaara looked to Lee and Lee shook his head, shrugging. Lee turned to Sakura. "But, Sakura, how it happened was…" His face turned red and a goofy smile overcame his face. Nothing more was needed to be said._

"_You two" She snapped. "used no protection! I know it was both of your first times, but what if one of you or even both of you still had something bad! It's romantic to go do it when the mood strikes, but that's not always the smartest of ideas either!"_

_She hit Lee upside the head and glared at Gaara. _

_Kiba snickered at Lee's confused and hurt look. "It's alright, Lee. She's just taking out the anger for you and Gaara out on somethin' that doesn't actually bother her."_

"_Shut up!" Kiba's smirk disappeared and he fell silent._

_Gaara swept pass the still frozen Naruto and crossed his arms over his chest when he stood face to face with the fuming pinkette. "There is nothing to be done about it now, you are hours too late."_

_Sakura growled and threw her hands up into the air. "Men! All of you only think about sex!"_

_Lee was offended. "I do not only think of sex. I think of many things, both intellectual and distracting, but not always of sex!" _

_Sakura rolled her eyes to him. "I know you don't, Lee."_

"_Can we eat now? I'm hungry!" Lee looked at Chouji with adoration. _

"_Yes! Please! I have not had breakfast yet!" Lee all but bounded into the kitchen. "Chouji, I will make an actual breakfast and then we can eat the snacks later!" _

_Chouji ambled in after him. "What do you have to eat in here?" Lee spun around and hugged him. "Whoa!"_

"_Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

_Chouji smiled a little awkwardly. "… You're… welcome?"_

"_I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO HAD SEX!" Naruto's outcry meant one thing, what with a redhead who knew nothing of humor or modesty and a pinkette who was out of her mind furious._

_Chouji and Lee hid in the kitchen and Shikamaru followed them in as war broke out in Lee's living room. Something broke and Lee was glad his Uncle was not there._


	24. Chapter 24

_Chapter Twenty-Three_

"O-Oh… This is wh-where you l-l-live?" Hinata was blushing madly. She hadn't stuttered in years! Yet here she was... Tongue tied and it was to blame her being alone with her crush.

She wringed her hands and looked around his room again. Messy, yes. But not as bad as everyone at school believed. There were some clothes scattered over the ground and a notebook as well, but the air was fresh and everything was in okay condition… Hinata was confused by that. 'Okay'? Naruto was the heir to the Uzumaki corporation! His house in its entirety was larger than her own and she was heiress to the Hyuuga dynasty.

The rest of his home was grand and beautiful! His room looked as if he lived in an acceptable apartment, but that was it. The grand and beauty stopped outside of his door and it was stepping into an entirely different lifestyle to walk through it. There was an orange futon off in the corner of the room and a black computer chair was in front of a wooden desk that had a pile of papers to one side of it and small colorful books stacked to the other side. Then there was a closet and no dresser. His book bag was tossed onto the futon and his black and orange jumpsuit jacket was discarded onto his twin sized bed.

Hinata knew he could live so much better than this. Yet he chose not to. Her heart swelled and she loved him all the more. Unfortunately, that growth of love also made it harder for her to breathe.

"Whoa! Hinata!" Naruto grabbed her wrist as she began to fall backwards. Sadly, in his sprint to her, he only fell over with her. At the last possibly moment, he twisted his body and Hinata landed over his chest while he took the brunt of the fall. "Shit!" He rolled fully onto his back with Hinata draped over him as he rubbed the shoulder that had just cracked against the floor. He squinted one cornflower blue eye open and studied her with concern. "You okay, Hinata?"

Flushed, she nodded furiously. "Y-yes! I'm-m fine, N-Naruto!" Her hand clenched and she squeaked when she realized it had just clenched into the tight black shirt he wore.

Naruto sat up, frowning. Hinata clung to his chest and it was more out of mortification for clinging to him than most anything else. "Are you sure? You're acting weird… And your nails are digging into my chest."

She yelped and spun away from him on her knees, bouncing her pointer fingers together. "S-sorry!"

Naruto folded his legs beneath himself and rubbed the back of his head, smiling at her. "It's alright!" He turned a curious look to the door. "Wonder what's taking them all so long… They couldn't have gotten lost!" He glared at it as if it would magically produce the rest of the gang.

Hinata smiled. "I think th-they will b-b-be here s-soon…" Actually, they were waiting. Somehow, in trying to not let anyone find out about her crush on Naruto… _everyone_ knew. They were all downstairs, not planning on coming up till they heard either Hinata or Naruto scream 'WE'RE DATING!' or something along those lines.

Hinata pushed back her long fall of hair, uncertain of how to continue. "N-Naruto…" Sky blue eyes turned curiously onto her. "I-I-I…" She took a deep breath. "I like-"

"Hinata, stay still!" Naruto's eyes were wide with apprehension and his hands had flown in front of himself as if he was about to grab something. "Don't move!"

Hinata went stone still, confused and a little frightened. She had never heard Naruto sound so… scared.

Naruto slowly, very slowly, got to his knees. He reached out and it seemed to take ages before his hand came anywhere close to Hinata's face. She flushed darkly, her heart thundering in her chest.

And then Naruto snapped his hand out and clenched his fist. "Got it!" He took his hand away and opened it, shaking it. "Don't worry, Hinata, I got it."

She looked at him, feeling stricken. "G-Got What-t-t?"

Naruto smirked. "I got the spider! Little bastard was about to land in your hair."

Hinata looked at the ground, tears threatening to fall. "O-oh…" She bounced her pointer fingers together.

Naruto's grin turned into a frown. He reached out again and put a hand to Hinata's shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

She nodded, though she honestly didn't feel alright. "Y-yes… N-Naruto, I h-h-have to tell you s-something… I l-like-" She couldn't do it! "Ramen!"

Naruto seemed to burst with joy. "You do! So do I! Hey, we have a lot of ramen in the kitchen, you want some?"

Hinata paused for a moment and then nodded. Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, shaking with excitement. "Come on! We have a lot of flavors! Miso, chicken, shrimp, beef, you name it, we have it!" He dragged her from the room and let go of her hand at the staircase to slide down the rail. He fell off of it three feet from the bottom and Hinata ran after him. "Ouch!"

"N-Naruto, are you o-okay?" She kneeled over him, hands flying to his head and touching gently for tender spots. Naruto hissed when he hit a specific spot.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just a bump!"

"N-Naruto, please b-be careful…" She petted back his blonde spikes before she even realized what she was doing, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Naruto smiled, eyes sliding close. "That feels good…"

Hinata's eyes widened and she snapped her hands back. "S-sorry…"

Naruto pouted. "But that felt good!" He gave her a kicked puppy dog face.

Blushing, she brushed his hair again, sitting back on her thighs. He closed his eyes and laid one arm limply over her chest and the other one above his head. He squirmed and put his head in Hinata's lap, nearly purring with the soft cushion to his hurting head. Hinata became a dark scarlet red and almost fainted. Somehow, though, she managed not to.

Three minutes went by and they were still sitting on the floor. Loathe to but knowing it was best, Hinata spoke up. "N-Naruto.. I h-have to t-tell you something…" Naruto peeked out of one eye and looked up at her curiously. "I-I… I like you!" She waited on baited breath, tense and flushed.

Naruto grinned up at her. "I like you too, Hinata!"

Her vision swam with black but she would be damned before she fainted now. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah! We're really good friends, why wouldn't I?"

Hinata's heart shrunk in her chest. Oh… _That _'like'…

Her hands slid away from Naruto. "N-Naruto…"

Naruto was grinning big. "Yeah?"

Hinata bit her bottom lip. "… Could we please have ramen now?" Naruto sat up, hissing when it felt his head exploded.

"Yeah, sure!… I'll get aspirin while we're at it…" He stood to his feet and helped her up. They had to walk through the living room to get to the kitchen.

Everyone looked at them expectantly. Naruto glared at them. "You guys have been here the whole time? We were waiting upstairs for you assholes!"

Seeing no answer there, their eyes turned to Hinata. Behind Naruto, she shook her head. Naruto huffed, putting his hands behind his head. "Well, I guess I have to ask everyone even though I don't think any of you deserve it… Hinata and I want ramen, anyone else?"

Sakura looked like she wanted to hurt him and Kiba was shaking his head. Chouji looked everywhere else and Shikamaru just gave Naruto an annoyed/bored look.

Lee looked at Hinata sadly before looking to Gaara with a questioningly look as if asking why Naruto wasn't getting it yet. Gaara stared at Naruto.

There were various mumbles (and growls) before Naruto grabbed Hinata's wrist and swaggered into the kitchen. "Suit it yourselves!"

Everyone watched them leave the room and all sighed. "I wonder why she can not see that he loves her…" Lee asked softly, watching the two leave before looking curiously to his lover. "Why are they both so blind?" Gaara met his eyes.

"Love is blind." Lee looked back to the door where they had disappeared, sighing slightly as he rested his head against Gaara's shoulder.

Sakura punched Kiba in the shoulder. Kiba looked to her with a hurt face but was ignored by her. "Because _they are blind."_

_Everyone nodded. That was, sadly enough, true… _

_From the kitchen, Naruto cried out. "REALLY! THAT'S MY FAVORITE TOO!" _

_Everyone had a collective sigh of exasperation. "They need to get together fast or else we're all gonna lose our heads." Kiba rubbed one shoulder and sat back against the couch._

"_You can say that again." Chouji bit into the apple he had stolen from the kitchen. _

"_They need to get together fast or else we're all gonna lose our heads." It deemed being said twice._


	25. Chapter 25

_Chapter Twenty-Three_

January nineteenth. Not only the first time ever Lee came to Gaara's house… but Gaara's birthday as well.

Lee stood in the circle of their gang and could hardly look at himself in the mirror. "C'mon, Lee! You're our present to Gaara! Take some pride in yourself!" Naruto had his camera out and was snapping wildly.

Kiba was snickering and doing much the same.

Sakura slapped them both across the face. "You look beautiful, Lee."

"A dark kind of beautiful, you know?" Chouji chewed on his barbeque chips, tilting his head to study Lee better. Shikamaru's lips twitched and he gave a short mumble that could have been an approval or disapproval.

"Damn sexy!" Kiba hooted.

"You look very pretty, Lee." Hinata agreed.

Lee looked over his shoulder at them, still not completely bought on it. "I do not know… What if this is not what he wants?" He picked at the hem of his skirt, twisting and turning himself to study his new apparel.

"Lee, you will give him wet dreams!" Sakura stood up and took out a dark forest green satin ribbon, tying it in a bow around Lee's neck. To one loop, she tied the To and From Card (To: Gaara, From: All of us).

She stepped back and smiled at Lee. "Alright, we're done here."

"You look hot, fuzzy brows! Believe it!" Naruto gave him a thumb's up and Lee returned it.

"Thank you all!"

"Now we're out!"

Naruto and Kiba whined. "But I wanna see Gaara's expression when he sees fuzzy brows!" Sakura gave Naruto an even glare that cowed the blonde.

"Yes, but I don't want to see him try and eat him like a cannibal… again."

Lee flushed at the reminder, looking down and away even as he grinned goofily, his eyes gaining a dreamy look to them. Lee still wasn't certain what had happened that day at lunch… One moment, he had been eating curry, the next Gaara had been eating curry off of him.

As if that was enough reason for everyone, they all walked out of the room.

"Later, fuzzy brows! Make sure you can still walk tomorrow!" Naruto followed Sakura out.

"Good luck, Lee…" Hinata hugged him and followed Naruto.

"Make us proud!" Kiba snickered and went after Hinata.

"Later, Lee!" Chouji followed the unresponsive Shikamaru out the door and now Lee was alone.

He turned back to the mirror.

His hair was pulled into a tight French braid, falling just pass his shoulders with only his even bangs free over his forehead. There was a black collar choker around his neck, two rows of chains circling it with a silver, bloomed rose to the left side of his throat. On one wrist was a black leather band lined with dull metal spikes.

Over his chest, he wore a black pinstriped bodice with satin ribbons crossing over the front three times and the sides open to show slivers of flesh beneath loose knitting of smaller lace strings. It was pulled tight around him and he had to admit, it made up for lack of breasts, though it had been a miracle to find such a shirt without having any.

His skirt was short… extremely so! They hardly covered half of his thighs, but it was beautiful in itself. It was lavishly decorated with lace and mesh, white and black wispy ruffles showing beneath the black top layer.

Lace up buckle leather boots covered even his knees and a black and white garter was just inches above one boot.

He petted his braid, just a little nervous. This was not what he was used to wearing… At all! And to top it off, Sakura had put black lipstick on him.

He heard the downstairs door open.

"Hey, Gaara! Happy birthday, man!" He heard Naruto.

"I don't celebrate my day of birth." Lee bit his lip at Gaara's admission… And then he grinned smugly. Well! Wasn't his lover in for a surprise!

"Yeah, but you're gonna love what we got you! Later!" He heard the rest of the gang give likewise farewells and then silence. Two minutes later, Gaara's bedroom door opened.

Now Lee was looking at his lover and birthday boy and his lover did not seem capable to meet his gaze for the first time. Gaara's eyes began at his boots and worked so very slowly up, Lee felt as if his lover's eyes alone were going to devour him.

Lee shivered under the speculation and sashayed his hips a little, smiling. "Happy birthday, my most special person." Gaara came towards him and it were as if a tiger was now stalking him, eyeing him for meat and sniffing the air for the exact moment to strike. Gaara was completely focused on him, with all of is senses and instincts.

Lee's heart thumped hard in his chest as Gaara sauntered a slow, lazy circle around him. "Is this my present?" His voice had dropped two octaves and the deepness and growl of it made Lee arch his back.

"Yes." He stuck out his butt, Gaara not two feet behind him. "Do you like?"

A finger trailed over his extended bottom. "I… like… Strongly." The finger trailed up over his bodice and fingered the clip of his choker. He grasped the bow and looked at the tag before pulling on one loose end, letting the ribbon fall to the floor. His fingers when interestedly back to the clip of the choker.

That reminded Lee of something. "Oh! Gaara!" He pointed behind Gaara to the bed where a leather leash and a spiked collar rested. Kiba's part of the gift, of course. Lee had been in disbelief when he had first saw it.

Gaara followed his finger and picked the leash off of the bed with stroking fingers. His eyes studied it for a moment and then went calculatingly to his neck.

The collar was snapped on and then there was a click. Now Lee was Gaara's pet to do with what he wished and Lee felt excitement zinging through him. Gaara continued his speculation, holding the leash in one loose hand.

He wore gothic bondage pants with detachable straps with black leather steel-toe boots with straps. There was a single ring choker around his neck and a black shirt with leather straps and metal buckles lining his chest and fishnet sleeves.

They looked more like a couple now more than ever.

"Kneel." Lee blinked but then did as told, lowering onto his knees. Gaara looked down at him now as he circled around again. "On your hands."

Lee's eyes widened, but he did as ordered. Bent over on hands and knees, Gaara crouched down in front of him, running his hands down from Lee's shoulder to his hip as if he were on inspection. "On your back."

Lee rolled over and looked up at his lover. "Anything for the birthday boy!" He laughed.

Gaara trailed his hands over his chest, down his ribs and then over his belly. They caught in each black lace X over Lee's chest before following back up. The tickled over Lee's sides, whispering over bare skin between ties. Lee squirmed. "Gaara! That tickles!" He giggled when Gaara did it again.

Nails, painted black, went further down than just his corset-like shirt. They rubbed at his calves just beneath his skirt before stroking the skirt up higher than it naturally was. His thumb stuck into the garter and he petted skin beneath it. Lee hummed, happy.

And then Gaara's other hand slid up between his thighs and palmed his erection. Lee gasped, throwing his head back against the floor. He raised one hand and stroked Gaara's face.

"Panties?" Gaara almost sounded disbelieving. Mostly annoyed.

Lee squirmed. "The skirt is really short, Gaara. And everyone was in the room with me, so I did not want anything… hanging out."

Gaara kissed his lips and Lee chuckled when their mouths met with one upside down. Gaara tugged his underwear down, shimmying them over the garter so not to drag that with him. He leaned over Lee to slip them pass the first buckle of his tall boots, the scanty green material catching at each individual piece of metal until Gaara was on his knees and one hand over him as he got the material to Lee's leather clad ankles. Lee helped the rest of the way by kicking out of them. He shuddered as a draft teased up his skirt.

Gaara dropped back onto his knees, meeting Lee's eyes evenly. "We're alone now."

Lee nodded. "Yes… We are…"

Gaara stood to his feet and gestured for Lee to sit up. Lee did so on one smooth, graceful move, twisting at the hips to look up at Gaara who stood behind him. Gaara grabbed him by his elbows and pulled him up the rest of the way, assaulting his lips with bruising force. Lee moaned and wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning into Gaara.

Gaara grabbed onto the underside of his thighs and lifted, pulling Lee's naked erection flush to his own clothed one. Walking forward, he dropped Lee onto his bed, a mass of red and black satin over a king sized tempur-pedic mattress. Gaara didn't sleep; not often, not unless he was forced to take sleeping pills… but he rested often.

With Lee on the bed, Gaara stepped off of the bed and looked at him. Lee looked back at him. Gaara dropped onto his knees on the ground between Lee's legs and Lee watched him with shy awe.

His hands stroked up and down Lee's calf and thigh and his mouth fell down onto the garter, gripping it between his bared teeth and pulling it down. Instead of taking the boots off, he merely pulled the garter over them. He lifted Lee's leg up and pulled the garter off. Lee wriggled.

"Gaaaarraaa! When are you going to take the rest off of me?" His hands clenched into the bed covers.

Gaara's eyes traveled up his body to meet his eyes. "Not tonight. Keep this on." He stood up, grabbing the hem of his black shirt and pulling it over his head. It fell somewhere to the side and his hands went to his belt next. Lee's eyes bugged and his mouth parted. The belt snapped off of Gaara's hips and his pants drooped low on his waist.

Lee licked his lips, his hips swiveling with his lust. "Gaaaaraaa… Please, take them off!" He stared at Gaara's pants with avid attention. How long had they been intimate? Not even three weeks, but Lee knew what his lover _wasn't _wearing.

Gaara came to him, brushing a finger over his choker before taking the leash into hand. "You're my present?"

Lee nodded. "Yours to do whatever you wish." Not that Gaara didn't already do that… However, it just seemed so much more special like this!

Gaara tugged on the leash and Lee sat up, stretching his legs apart and setting his hands down between them, watching his lover. Gaara pulled harder and kept a hand to his shoulder. Lee kneeled on the ground again, putting a hand to each of Gaara's thighs and looking up at him. Gaara lifted his braid and pulled it over his left shoulder.

"Then take them off for me." Lee flushed, but he picked at the button anyway, his heart aquiver in his chest. Gaara tugged on the leash. "No hands." Lee looked up at him, confused.

"If I do not use my hands, how am I supposed to-" His mouth fell open as he finally understood. "take them off…" He looked from Gaara to the fly and then back up. "… Oh…"

He looked back to Gaara's zipper. Holding his hips, he leaned forward and played his tongue around the button, pulling on the fabric. It took longer than Lee would have liked, but he finally got the button undone. Triumphant, he took the zipper between his teeth and pulled down. Gaara's cock, thick, hard, and red, sprang from the open pants and Lee just barely managed being poked by it. Proud and with his duty done, he looked back up at Gaara for further instructions.

Gaara petted his hair and Lee began to purr deep in his throat. "Open your mouth."

Lee licked his lips before opening his mouth, never taking his eyes off of Gaara's. Gaara stroked his jaw, rubbing his thumb to the corner of his mouth. In his chest, Lee's heart was thump-thump-thumping away and he wandered if Gaara could hear it.

"Are you ready for me?" Lee looked up at him with adoration.

"Always."

Gaara nudged his hips forward and his erection flicked against Lee's mouth. Lee turned his head and wrapped his lips around the head, licking at it as if it were a lollipop. Gaara's head fell back on his shoulders before he rolled it to look down at Lee, not missing a thing. Lee met his eyes and caressed one hip bone as he bobbed his head shallowly.

He pulled away and a trail of saliva connected him still. Lee smiled up at Gaara and hugged his waist. And then he popped his mouth over his cock again, sliding the length down his throat in one smooth move. Gaara bucked into his mouth and Lee moaned around him. Holding the base, Lee licked the underside of his erection and swallowed around him. Bobbed his head around Gaara until his lover was thrusting into his mouth. Lee gripped harder to his waist and pulled the pants down pass Gaara's hips, slipping them down his thighs and to the top of his boots.

Gaara pulled away, panting and sweating, and pushed Lee back to the bed, letting him crawl backwards back onto it. Gaara pressed a hand to the bed beside him and undid his boots with the other, kicking them off and then the pants. Lee shivered, wriggling on the spot with his own need.

"Gaaaarrraaaa… This is not fair…" He hooked a finger into the ring of Gaara's choker, feeling wonderfully naughty as he curled a leg over Gaara's hip. "I am all dressed up and you are naked… Everything is hot in here, Gaara…" He tugged on the choker and licked along Gaara's lips. The clothes did seem to make the person… He felt wicked!

Gaara pushed against him and rested over Lee, one hand stroking from Lee's wrist to his elbow and then down his side to slip under his skirt. Lee squirmed happily, bringing his boots up to the bed and pushed back against Gaara's hand.

"Gaara… Do you have any lubrication?" He looked around himself but Gaara grasped his jaw and kissed him to distraction.

When he pulled back, he brought three fingers to his own mouth and bit down on them. Blood trickled down the digits.

"Gaara!" Lee grasped the wrist and frowned up at his lover. "We could have used something else…"

Gaara took his hand from him and brushed one finger over his orifice, making Lee gasp. "Not quick enough." The finger pushed through and twisted, getting Lee ready fast.

Lee tangled a hand in his hair and pulled Gaara back to him via the choker. Their lips crashed and their tongues tangled. A second finger plunged deep inside of him and curled in a 'come hither' fashion.

Lee 'came hithered' alright. He sobbed and used his legs as leverage pump back onto them. The third came and all three tried to fan out inside of him, but it was far too tight. He shoved them in to the third knuckle and then pulled shallowly, shoving back harder and Lee groaned as his entire body jerked.

Lee gripped Gaara's biceps. "Now, Gaara… I am ready!" His nails bit into Gaara's skin.

Gaara bit down on his shoulder in punishment. He held Lee's hip in one hand and his cock in the other, aligning himself.

He swiveled his hips and Lee took half of his length into himself. He screamed and wrapped both boot-clad legs around Gaara's waist, arching onto him.

He had been ready, but not for that. The hurt and pleasure of it made him sob louder than before and he pulled at Gaara's hair, feeling himself stretch unlike ever before.

Even before he could fully adjust, Gaara was slamming into him, plunging hard, deep, and fast. It was all Lee could do to even gasp around each thrust and there was hardly enough air in the room to scream with. Gaara grabbed his waist and shoved him higher onto the bed, pulling a leg over his shoulder and grasping one globed cheek in his other hand, squeezing it and spreading it wider.

It punched right against his prostate and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. "Ga-a-a-r-r-aa-aa!" His body was on fire and there was no actual thought in his mind. Only the instinctive need to break free from the heat.

Lee tangled one hand in the blankets, trying to keep himself still. The other one he wrapped under Gaara's shoulder. With his one knee tossed over Gaara's other shoulder, the position was uncomfortable… but it felt so _good_.

Gaara grabbed the leash and pulled. Lee's head lifted and Gaara bit his bottom lip hard, clenching his teeth around the soft, plump flesh. Lee sobbed and bit back, eyes closed tightly as something ruptured deep inside of himself. "GAA-AA-RRR-AA-AA!" His nails made long, deep scratches down Gaara's arm and the hand clenching the sheets came up and mauled down the back of his neck.

His lover didn't stop. He rammed into him harder and his tempo became irregular. He panted against Lee's throat, resting his lips there and every thrust he made hit Lee's prostate that much harder. His aftershocks turned into a second orgasm that rocked his world and he clenched around Gaara, pushing back just as hard, just as fast. He reared his head and bit Gaara's neck, trying everything his frenzied mind could think of to get Gaara to come with him.

"G-aa-aa-rr-aa! P-l-ee-ee-ea-s-ee!" Gaara clenched a hand in his hair and pulled his head back, assaulting his lips. He bucked his hips again, just one last time, and then came hard against Lee's prostate.

He panted through his orgasm, thrusting his hips still to milk the experience for all it was worth. His arms were trembling and his body was sweating massively. When his hips couldn't keep moving, he finally stopped.

Lee smiled up at him, panting and sated. His leg slid off of Gaara's shoulder and now his hands smoothed down his back instead of scratched. "Mmmm… Happy birthday, my most special person…" He squirmed and groaned, Gaara still inside of him. "I do not think my skirt survived the experience, though…" He could feel the soft ruffles against his sensitive bit and his cum now coated it. He doubted there would be any washing that out.

Gaara slid out of him and both groaned. Gaara kissed him, a short and soft connection. Lee held onto his back. "Mmmm… Gaaraa?" Lee nuzzled Gaara's cheek with his own, kissing just before his ear. "I am in love with you…"

He expected that moment where Gaara went tense and stared down at him. He accepted it. He expected the moment Gaara slid off of him and stared still didn't look away. He accepted that as well, though he was loathe to be without his lover's heat.

He sat up in the bed, feeling cum seeping from deep inside his body. He didn't reach out to Gaara, he only watched him. "It is alright if you do not feel the same way… I just want you to know that you have my heart completely."

He tugged his legs up to hide himself, giving his discarded underwear a longing look. "Do you want me to leave while you think this out?"

Gaara did nothing for minutes before shaking his head. He disappeared into the bathroom conjoined to his room and came back out with a damp washcloth. He went to Lee and urged his legs apart, slipping the towel over his member and where the cum stuck to his skirt before dipping it to catch the seepage from his orifice.

Lee watched and wasn't entirely certain what to do. Tired curls of pleasure went through him but his heart was heavy. Gaara was cleaning him as he usually did after making love but there were no looks promising more and Gaara was not using his mouth as he better enjoyed doing while Lee was conscious. He stared blankly down at what he was doing now, not even a hint of lust showing through.

Lee stroked his red hair, sad. "I am sorry… I did not mean to upset you on your birthday…"

Gaara looked up at him vacantly. "You did not mean to upset me?" Lee shook his head, petting a thumb over Gaara's tattoo. "Than why are you the one crying?"

Lee blinked, two more unrealized tears slipping down his cheeks. "I am sad for you…"

"You pity me?"

"I pity the boy who has never been loved… but I am heartbroken for the man who is offered love and does not know how to hold it." He jerked on the top cover of the bed, pulling it out and around to wrap it around Gaara's waist again. "You get cold so easily, Gaara… Please take more care."

"Are you ashamed of me?"

Lee frowned. "Never. How could you even think that?" No answer. Lee hugged Gaara even though the redhead remained tensely still in his arms. "Love is shameless, Gaara. True love. Some say love is making compromises but what it truly is? Loving someone regardless of everything and loving them entirely." He nuzzled his face into his lover's shoulder. "I am in love with you and with everything you are!" He brushed their noses together. "Completely, irrevocably, around the bin in love with you!"

Gaara began shaking. Lee became silent. "Are you lying?"

"Have you ever known me to lie?" Everything was becoming unpredictable. Gaara hadn't reacted this strongly when Lee had admitted to like-liking him.

Gaara said nothing, but shook his head. He stopped with the towel and set it aside. He left the bed and paced the width of it, Lee watching.

There was a clock above Gaara's door. Black against the sand-colored walls. It was written out with roman numerals. When Lee looked from Gaara to it, three hours had passed since Gaara had begun pacing. Lee blinked. He shuffled on the bed a bit, trying to regain a little feeling to his numb buttocks and sleeping legs.

"Gaara?" His voice was softly attentive. He grasped the loose ends of the blanket tied around his lover's waist, not trying to stop Gaara but gain his attention.

Gaara stopped and looked down at him. He said nothing as he stood between Lee's legs, a mask over his face that Lee could not see through or take off.

"Are you certain you do not want me to leave?" Because his heart was being run ragged waiting and it would do them both best at the moment.

Gaara put his hands on his shoulders and tipped him over, landing on top of him with one leg between his and the other pushing into the bed beside his hip. "I want you to stay."

Lee took up his braid and brushed it against Gaara's face, tickling his jaw and nose. "Alright, Gaara… I will stay."

"For how long?"

"For as long as you want me here."

Gaara considered this for the next half hour, not moving off of Lee or even moving at all. Lee brushed his braid over his face long after his arm ached.

Finally, Gaara blinked. "You are in love with me?"

Lee kissed him, long and deep and with all the love and adoration in his soul. Gaara kissed back and what he felt in him was beautiful, not quite certain but something that spoke of being nearly as powerful as heart rendering. He held a finger in the ring of Gaara's choker, not wanting it to end.

Alas, the call for air was as great as the need to touch. Their lips brushed just barely and they breathed into each other, stealing each other's oxygen and replacing it with their own scent.

Gaara nodded, something he had been looking for found. "I accept your affections than."

Lee kissed his shoulder. "How was your birthday, Gaara?"

"It was… acceptable…"

Lee smirked. "Anything else? Perhaps an improvement for next time?" Not that next time had to be on Gaara's birthday…

His teal eyes lit with calculations and ideas. "… Maybe a few…"

Lee rolled them over, landing on top of his lover. He leaned down low, their faces nearly touching. "Please do tell, my most special person!"

Gaara stroked his thigh between his skirt and boot. "You could be completely helpless… Tied to the bed and blindfolded. You could do absolutely nothing to fight me, only be able to feel what I do to you. Everything that I do to you and you would not be able to retaliate, to challenge me or dare me with your eyes."

Lee shivered, liking the prospect even when he balked at it. He had never been one for helpless, but Gaara's tone was far too sinful not to be affected by it. "No gag?"

Gaara stroked the corner of his lips. "No."

Lee licked the invading thumb. "Why not?"

"I would want to kiss you and listen to every sound I would wring from you… The gag would be pointless."

Lee kissed his palm and rested his forehead against his lover's, resting his arms above their heads. "Mm… Ear plugs?"

Gaara thought about it. "… Possible. You would be entirely dependent upon sense of touch."

Lee was really getting into this. "Would I be held down by rope or chain?"

"Handcuffs."

Lee blinked at the suddenness of the answer. "You have given this some thought, have you not?"

"You do nothing to discourage it." Gaara's hands wandered and grasped his butt, massaging both cheeks. "You are in love with me?"

Lee bit his bottom lip. "Yes. I am in love with you with all my heart, soul, and mind." He gripped Gaara's shoulders.

"… And you are my birthday present? Mine to do with as I wish?"

"Yes."

"… I want my gift again." His eyes were intent on him, his hands stroking Lee's bottom.

Lee smiled, wiggling his butt a bit. "How ever could I say no to you, my most special person?" Gaara rolled them over again and Lee tossed a leg around his waist. "Do I get to take off my clothes yet?"

Gaara gave it some thought. "Everything but the collar, the leash, and the boots."

Lee flushed and giggled nervously. "Naruto and Kiba will be pleased…" Even as he spoke, Gaara was unlacing his bodice, pulling it off of his chest.

Lee felt a moment of sadness for Sakura.

The skirt was handled just as kindly, even given a considerate look as if Gaara was determining whether to keep it on or take it off. In the end, it slid down Lee's legs and Lee squirmed a little. That, at least, might make Hinata happy that Gaara had actually had to debate with it.

Gaara's hand went to the silver rose choker and unsnapped it. Before Lee could silently apologize to both Shikamaru and Chouji (Actual silver and very fine leather), Gaara grasped both of his hands and twisted the choker around both of his wrists gently.

Had he been red before? Now he was a scarlet bordering on purple, he was certain. It felt as if his face was on fire! "Gaara?" His voice was a squeak.

Gaara looked back up at him from where he had slid down to molest one nipple with tongue and teeth. "My day of birth is not yet over, Lee… Why not have my wish now?"

Lee gulped. "Why not?" He wasn't one for being helpless… But Gaara was looking at him with so much lust, passion, and something _soft_ and _warm_ that Lee wouldn't fight him. His eyes slid close and he arched his body into Gaara's teasing. "Anything for the birthday boy…" '_Absolutely everything for my most special person…'_


	26. Chapter 26

_Chapter Twenty-Four_

"Aaaaww, fuck…" He shuddered again. Shivered and gasped. Finally, his body wilted back onto a built chest, kissing it softly. It took three minutes before he could breathe properly again. "… You know, you should join the gang."

His lover snorted. "You want me to join my baby bro's gang?" Kankuro smirked down at him. "Naah." He twisted his body and now Kiba was under him.

Kiba, sore and with bite marks and bruises littering his body, returned the smirk. "What? Don't wanna be showed up by him?"

Kankuro bit down on his ear in punishment, his brown mass of spiky hair giving off a naughty shadow over his eyes with how it stuck to his forehead and drooped in the heat of their passion. Kiba licked his lips and then his lover's cheek, growling tauntingly.

Kankuro held his hips. "I don't want to show up my brother in front of his little friends!" He chuckled.

Kiba leered. "Oh, that so?" His legs were being nudged apart and he felt Kankruo poking his length down between his ass cheeks.

"Hell yeah."

"Alright, how about we go public, then? I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick and tired of all the suspicion."

Kankuro played his fingers over Kiba's member… those wonderful, magnificently skilled fingers… "You know what? Fuck was Temari says about the company; I'm not being showed up by the twerp." He bit down on the lobe of Kiba's ear. "You're mine, bitch. If Gaara doesn't have a problem in the world over his drag queen, I'm not gonna be bothered by what sex my lover is."

Kankuro found his stretched, red hole and plowed in, all in one thrust that made Kiba bark before the younger boy could bite down on Kankuro's shoulder.

"Hey, you asshole! I'm fucking sore!" His body clenched around Kankuro and it belied his explosive words with how it dragged at Kankuro's cock, sucking it in deeper. Kiba groaned once. "Be more careful, would you?…" He smiled and it was softer, his eyes alight with his care and devotion for the older man. "And thanks… I'm going to like making you look like a whipped piece of cock out in public."

Kankuro kissed him, long and deep. He waited a moment before thrusting, holding Kiba's hips in place by way of one hand and balancing his body over Kiba by way of the other. Panting, he rested his cheek against Kiba's. "Whipped piece of cock, eh?" He waited for it.

Kiba began whining, clawing at Kankuro's back and arching up into his thrusts. "Don't baby it!"

Kankuro lips distorted into a part-growl, part-adoring smile and it was a dangerous twist of lips as he plunged forward, taking the initiative that 'be more careful' didn't apply anymore. It didn't. Just as he had known it wouldn't. Whipped piece of cock? Kiba was going to have a whipped ass by the end of this!

Kiba threw his head back and howled. "Harder!" The bed cracked against the wall and Kankuro had to force Kiba's hip back to the bed surface.

"I'll give you harder!" He shoved Kiba's knees up to his chest and rammed into him over and over again. Kiba yelped every other thrust and panted the times between, his vision darkening.

"G-GAA-HAA-RRAAA!"

Kiba came unexpectedly, but his face was confused and he was frowning even as his body shivered and began to wind down. Kankuro stopped altogether and stared at the ceiling of his room with a gaping mouth.

They looked back to each other. Kankuro turned dark with rage and Kiba shrugged his shoulders with a snigger. "Hey, what'ya expect? He _is _the birthday boy after all and Lee was hot shit the last time I looked."

Kankuro rose a jealous brow. "You looked?"

Kiba snickered and licked his lips. "Well, I like your pecs better, so I must've not looked that long… But, yeah… He's keeping Gaara good and busy."

"I'm getting fucking blue balls!"

Kiba pouted, but there was a mocking light in his milk chocolate eyes. "Poor, poor baby…" He squeezed his inner muscles around Kankuro, pushing his hips back onto and off of his lover. "Does this help?"

Kankuro groaned, head falling back on his shoulders. "You know it does…"

"Mm hhmmm… Oh, and baby?" Kankuro peeked at him out of one eye. Kiba stuck his tongue out at him. "From the sound of it, your baby brother's showing you up."

As if on cue, Lee screamed again. "GAA-AA-AA-AA-RR-AA! OH, GOSH! PLEASE! FASTER! FASTER!" Incredibly loud sobbing was heard. "LOVE YOU! LOVE LOVE LOVE YOOUUU!"

Kankuro snarled, leaving Kiba's body only to twist Kiba onto his back and thrust into him that way. "Like fuck he is!"

Kiba yelped and then whined. Finally, he smiled teasingly again. "You-ou can-nnnn-'t l-e-t yo-ou-our brother h-aa-aa-vv-vvvvv-ee a go-oo-d birthday, can-nnnn-AAAH!" He arched high into the ramming thrusts, biting his bottom lip hard. "AW, FUCK IT! CLAIM THIS ASS, YOU PUSSY!"

Kankuro bit his shoulder, drawing blood. "My pleasure, mutt." And that was the end of all actual conversation between the two lovers.

… **That is actually how I would see the relationship between them. If I got some mix up in character, please do tell. I watch the movies but it's been a while since I've watched the episodes. Besides! I honestly find that kind of cute… They need each other ;3**


	27. Chapter 27

_Chapter Twenty-Five_

Gaara sat opposite Kankuro at the round table in the conference room of their own home. Kankuro looked pissed and Gaara blank.

Their sister looked like she had a headache no one could cure. "What were the chances?" She rubbed her temple again, sighing before looking up at them from under her eyelashes. "Neither of you could be straight? Especially you, Gaara?"

Kankuro shrugged and answered for them both. "Heart wants what heart wants, damn what it doesn't."

Temari rubbed her temples and it seemed like she would explode into a thousand screams in just a moment.

"Homosexuality is more accepted now than ever before." Gaara was looking at some point pass Temari's shoulder. "If there is a time to come out, we have chose now."

Temari shook her head. "No, alright." It wasn't a question.

Gaara slid his eyes to meet hers in that frighteningly slow way of his. "We weren't asking for permission."

"Do either of you care for the business! Our family has worked hard for so long to get as powerful as we are now! Already, I'm getting calls from people who were alerted of your sexual tendency and they want to break away from the Sabaku corporation." She glared at them both. "Until you're eighteen, I still hold majority over you both." She spoke to Gaara.

But nothing rattled Gaara. Not her baby brother. "I am not leaving Lee."

Kankuro rose a lazy hand. "Same goes here except my lover boy's Kiba."

Temari slammed her head into the table. "You know what? Both of you! What if they're lying? Do either of you know your net worth?"

"Yes, we know it." Gaara leaned his elbows on the table and weaved his fingers together over his mouth. "You won't let us forget."

"Then let's think of it this way… What if you two have to give up everything because you're both dating boys that are most likely using you for cash?" She honestly thought she had them.

Kankuro leered at her. "Well, Kiba gets pissed like a bitch whenever I try to spend money on him unless it's food or his birthday, so I don't think there's a problem there."

Temari frowned at him. "How long have you been seeing Gaara's friend?"

"Three years." Kankuro and Temari looked at Gaara.

Temari looked to Kankuro. "How long have you two been boning each other! Damn it, Kankuro, but the last thing we need is a statutory rape case brought up against us!"

"Kankuro and Kiba are within three years age of each other. Nothing they do in and out of bed is illegal. As well, Kiba is 16, of legal age to be with anyone of any age. Anyone between 12 who has sex automatically names their partner a rapist."

Kankuro grinned at his baby brother. "Thanks, bro!" He leaned lazily back in his chair. "What he said."

Temari growled. "You two will endanger the company! Can't you two just sodomize girls and we'll call it a day?"

Kankuro glowered. "It's not as simple as just sexing some random bitch, sis. As it kinda turns out, I give a damn for Kiba and I don't think Gaara's going to give up his boy toy without a fight either."

"That's too bad!" She slammed her hands to the table. "Both of you have to learn that what you want isn't always what's important!"

"You can mean nothing to the world but you can mean the world to someone." Gaara gave his sister an even look. "The world means nothing to me; not its problems, its stereotypes, its misgivings and greediness. I mean the world to Lee and he means much more to me than any of those idiots you strive to please."

Temari groaned. "Gaara… I know he told you that he loves you-"

"He sure did!" Kankuro whooped, speaking of yesterday, Gaara's birthday.

Temari snapped a noodle at him from her dinner bowl. It splattered across his face. "But he could be lying! I mean…" She was loathe to bring it up. "Remember our Uncle? How _he told you that he loved you?"_

_Kankuro glared at her in Gaara's deep, cold silence. "Yeah, sis, real smooth." He stood from the table, shoving his own dinner bowl from himself. "I've lost my appetite what with being told what to do with who." _

"_Sit down!" Temari snapped at him._

_Kankuro scowled. "I'm not your fucking dog!" He shoved the chair away and stormed out of the room._

_Temari's shoulders sagged. She looked at Gaara out of the corner of her eyes. Gaara didn't meet hers, staring at a shadow on the floor._

"_Gaara… You know everything I do for both of you is for both your own good, right?" She bordered on desperation, but mostly tiredness._

_Nothing. Finally, Gaara slid gracefully out of his own chair and walked away, bringing both his and Kankuro's dishes with him as he made his way to the kitchen._

_Temari's head thumped against the table and she pushed her own dinner bowl away. "Baki!" The house caretaker slipped into the room as if he had always been. She didn't even bother looking up at him. "Get me their numbers… One way or another, I have to show those two that they're being lied to."_

_Baki watched her with no emotion. "Numbers, ma'am?"_

_She lifted her head off of the table and looked to the kitchen door where she could no longer hear Gaara cleaning the dishes. He would be gone by now, she knew. "Kiba's and Lee's. I'm certain those two lovesick fools keep their numbers somewhere near."_

_Baki bowed. "Yes, ma'am." He slid away like a ghost._


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter Twenty-Six**_

"You wanted to speak to us, Temari?" Lee smiled charmingly, sashaying happily by the side of Gaara's sister. "I am very happy to finally meet you, I hope you understand, but why so suddenly?" His braid fell over one shoulder as he tilted his head curiously to look up at the blonde.

Kiba snorted. "If you think you can break us up from our lover boys, you thought wrong." Lee looked to him with confusion.

Temari smiled tiredly. "So Kankuro gave you heads up?"

Kiba gave her a smile, but his eyes were distasteful. "We don't have any secrets."

Temari looked at Lee. "How come you didn't know then?"

Lee grinned. "We do not carry any secrets either… However, Gaara does not speak much at all." He shrugged and chuckles, his eyes soft with love. "I am okay with it! It is a quirk of his and I accept it!"

Temari looked strained. "I see… I just want to make sure that my brothers are not being used, so I want to just talk to you both."

Lee and Kiba stared at her. "… At least you are not misleading us…" Lee stated softly.

Temari led them to an outside diner, sitting them all down at a round table with a large umbrella unfolded above them. Weather report said it might snow again in just a bit. For now, there was little snow on the ground and winter seemingly had passed except for the chilling, bitter winds. 

"Hey, can't we take this inside while you're talking to us?" Kiba drawled, not entirely bothered by the cold but not quite fond of it either when it wasn't accompanied by snow. 

Temari shook her head. "No. This will do; we won't be here long."

Lee sat politely down and Kiba sprawled all over his chair. Temari grimaced. Watching this, she saw even more reasons why not to break them up from her brothers.

"I'll get straight to the point." She took out two envelopes, handing one to each of them. "I think highly of my brothers and not so much of you two. However, I have counted out these amounts on the worth of Gaara and Kankuro to try and be fair." 

Kiba and Lee looked confusedly at her and then the envelopes, taking them up and giving each other uncertain looks. "What are you talking about?" Lee finally asked for the both of them.

She pointed a lazy finger to the envelopes, though her eyes followed like each like a hawk. "In each of those envelopes is an estimated ten thousand dollars." Lee and Kiba gapped. "You both take those, do whatever you wish with it… and never come near my brothers again." Both enveloped were tossed almost simultaneously and instantly back at her.

"No deal!" Kiba snarled.

"There is nothing you can give us to make me leave Gaara!" Lee was honestly appalled.

Temari sighed. She took the two envelopes back and brought out two different ones. "Fine. I know you both have a price and I can find it." She tapped the second pair of envelopes against the table in front of them. "50 thousand right here. And all you have to do is leave my brothers alone."

Lee and Kiba didn't even bother reaching out for this one. "Why are you doing this?" Lee finally hissed.

"How much money do you have in there?" Kiba gave her purse an incredulous stare, a canine bared in his shock. 

Temari ignored the former question and answered the latter. "As much as you both want to leave my brothers alone." 

Kiba's jaw dropped and Lee looked on the verge of being disgusted. "You're carrying that kind of green in an open place like this!" Kiba hissed under his breath to Temari. "Do you want to get robbed? Put that shit away!" 

Lee's chair scraped the ground as he stood abruptly. "It was a pleasure finally meeting you, Temari." His voice was dead of all affection. "However, I think it is time for me to leave." 

Kiba pushed his chair back, standing as well. "Yeah, I think I oughta get out too." 

Temari remained calmly seated. "Neither of you have asked exactly how much much is."

"We do not care for your money." Lee quivered with rage. "We care for your brothers, and if you can not accept that, than I am truly sorry for you."

They went to walk away, turned their backs to her and began down the sidewalk, when she dropped the bombshell. "100 thousand each. Not including the 60 thousand I will give to both of you right now."

Lee's back went rigid and Kiba began growling. "What don't you get about no?" Kiba snarled at her over his shoulder. "We're not in this for the green, we're in it 'cause we give a fuck about Gaara and Kankuro."

"I understand where you are coming from, Temari." Lee's voice was empty of emotion. "You are afraid for your brothers; afraid that they might be harmed further by us because they have been harmed in the past by those that should have loved them. Despite that…" He looked at her with fiery eyes. "I will not abandon Gaara just because of fear. If he does not want me, I will listen to him. Not you." 

Lee grabbed Kiba's wrist and pulled, leaving Temari alone in the bitter cold at the café outside table. Temari watched after them, disbelief in her eyes.

'_I can't believe it…_' A hushed shock held her still in her thoughts. _'160 thousand dollars each… Just to leave Gaara and Kankuro alone… and they turned it down. That money would have made anyone, in love or not, leave whatever the hell they say they cared for behind. It didn't work on them.' She tried to find an excuse for it. They were waiting for more money. If they could wrap Kankuro and Gaara around their individual fingers, they could have that much more cash at hand. _

_She thought about the disgust and fury both had shown when she had tried to find their price. Somehow, her new excuse just didn't seem to fit._

_She sat at the table, her mind calculating and swinging from one thought to another. Finally, she sighed. Numb from the waist down and the rest of herself frigid, she stood ungainly to her feet. Snapping out her phone, she dialed up both her brothers. _

_They both picked up about the same moment, just before their ringtones went to voicemail. _

"'_Sup?" Kankuro said ignorantly. Gaara said nothing, waiting for her to state why she had called him. "Hey, is baby bro on the phone too?" He sounded a little more excited, happier to be speaking with his silent brother than her. "Hey, Gaara! What's up with your day?"_

"_Kankuro…" She sighed tiredly and Kankuro fell into a pending silence. "Gaara…" Her baby brother said nothing, but she could nearly hear him paying attention. "You're both very lucky to have who you both have."_

_There was a deep quiet. "What the fuck did you do, Tema-" She hung up on them. _


	29. Chapter 29

_Chapter Twenty-Seven_

Lee and Kiba strolled back to the Sabaku residence. Lee wasn't entirely certain on the smarts of that, but Kiba was determined to stick to Kankuro like glue to (quote on quote): 'Gonna show that bitch just where I'm not leavin'!' (end quote).

They stepped through the front door, Kiba in his ratty jeans and winter coat with the furred hood lining, Lee in his skinny jeans overlapped by orange legwarmers and a scarf over a long sleeved pink blouse underneath a green poncho. They stripped down to their clothes, leaving the winter wears at the door.

Just as Lee was taking off his sneakers, Gaara strode purposefully into the room and Kankuro stormed in after him.

Kiba smirked at his lover, running at him to stop a few feet before Kankuro to slide the rest of the way via his socks to the waxed floor. He leaped at the last moment and was became attached to Kankuro's chest, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck. "Hey, Kinky!" He licked Kankuro's cheek.

Lee smiled. He hadn't known they were a couple till he had… _heard them Gaara's birthday night. And heard them rather loudly. _

_Gaara stopped a little in front of him and Lee hugged him tightly to him. "Hello, my most special person!" He nuzzled his cheek to Gaara's shoulder. "How are you today?"_

"_My sister contacted you."_

_Lee's smile lost its easy edge. "Yes."_

_Kiba huffed, lying more languidly over Kankuro's torso. "Yeah, we know…" Neither of them seemed to want to bring up the matter of the visit. "We were there."_

"_What did she want to tell you guys?" Kankuro was suspicious, almost already knowing exactly what his sister had tried to do, but not completely certain of it. _

_Kiba shrugged. Lee smiled. "She loves you both dearly." That was all he said and that was all they were going to get from him if his smile said anything._

_Gaara gave nothing away and Kankuro didn't look entirely bought. _

_Kiba nipped Kankuro's bottom lip into his own mouth and Lee kissed Gaara's forehead. "How about dinner? I will cook!" Lee led the way into the kitchen, Kiba leaping off of Kankuro to scurry after him._

"_Grub's up!" He whooped._

_Kankuro and Gaara, given no other choice, followed after them. With Lee at the stove and Kiba at the cutting board, Kankuro got the ingredients ordered out and Gaara stood behind Lee, his hands on Lee's hips and their bodies tightly compressed._

"_Hey, lazy ass! Don't stand there making landing base home, do something!" Kankuro tried to sound threatening, but he was grinning too widely._

_Kiba snickered. "Aw, leave'm alone, Kinky!" He bit down on Kankuro's jaw line. Kankuro bit back on his earlobe. A bite match began that ended with them taking up the slabs of meat Kiba had just been cutting and throwing them at each other, the spices Kankuro had taken out of the cabinet spilling over in the ensuing fight._

_Lee huffed and wiggled away from Gaara, catching both boys by their ears and twisting. "Both of you! Wasting good food… If you both want to fight each other so much, fight like men… with pillows!" He tuttered them and dragged both pained boys out of the kitchen, pushing them out. "Do not come back until this issue is resolved!" He knew they weren't coming back._

_He came back to the kitchen, sighing at the wasted meat on the ground and the amiss spices. "Gaara?" His lover looked at him from where he had begun stirring the noodles and eyeing the spaghetti sauce. Lee smiled thankfully for his help. "Please take up cleanup duty? And do we have any more pork chops?"_

_Gaara got on that and Lee finished the spaghetti all in time for his lover to clean up and then begin again the meat._

_Kiba and Kankuro came back downstairs, looking sweaty and boneless. Lee averted his eyes kindly and Gaara didn't bother looking at all._

"_Mm mm! Something smells good here!" Kiba sat down at the kitchen table instead of the one in the dining room. Kankuro shoved him out of it and stole his seat. Kiba growled. "Hey! I was sitting there, you ass!" _

_Kankuro smirked and threw a lazy arm over the back of it. "You can still sit here."_

_An evil glint entered Kiba's eyes. "You're right… No reason getting upset over it, is there?" He wiggled rather comfortably into Kankuro's lap. Kankuro hissed but did nothing for the most part._

_Lee put the dishes on the table and Gaara set down the food. "Let us eat!" They all sat down around the table, Lee clapping his hands together momentarily in thanks for the food before digging in. Gaara picked slowly at his own and Kiba went at his plate with a wolfish appetite. Kankuro ate his without a care in the world._

_A noise alerted Lee first. He stopped eating and looked to the door. Temari stood there, looking somewhere between emotionless and uncertain. He smiled. "Will you not join us, Temari?"_

_Kiba stopped snickering and wiggling furiously on Kankuro's lap, frowning up at Temari. Kankuro scowled and Gaara looked over his shoulder at her. _

"_Well? We're waiting here!" Kiba gestured for her to hurry and Kankuro jerked his head welcomingly. Gaara only stared, but he could have been asking Temari to join them as well in that silent way of his._

_Temari smiled after a moment. "Hey, I'm getting there!" She took a big whiff of the air. "Wow, something smells good!" She sashayed in, making a plate and sitting down opposite of Gaara at the rectangular table. _

_Family-like chatter began up between each and every one of them._

_At the end of the night, Temari invited them to stay as long as they wanted. Even though Gaara and Kankuro gave her dull stares, as if saying that they hardly needed her permission, there was a meaningful light in her eyes. As if she was inviting them to stay longer than just a night._

_Kiba and Lee smiled at her. "Why, thank you, Temari." Lee hugged her. "I would love to stay here." _

_Kiba group hugged them both. "Make that two of us!"_

_Temari hugged them back. "Well you're welcomed to!"_

_Kankuro rolled his eyes to Gaara. "Now I know we missed something." Gaara said nothing. _


	30. Chapter 30

_Chapter Twenty-Eight_

"Hey, Hinata…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Hinata looked to him curiously. "Y-yes, N-Narut-to?" Yes, they were alone together again.

Hinata had been walking in the woods near her home and Naruto had come looking for her. Now they walked side by side through one of the darker paths, the moon just barely lighting the way overhead.

Naruto tried to talk once and then went silent. "… Did you know Kiba and Kankuro were going at it like rabbits?" He finally said rather lamely.

Hinata's shoulders sagged. "N-no…" She had hoped he would say something different.

Naruto gulped and looked away from her, face a few shades redder than usual. "So… Uuumm.. How've you been?"

Hinata nodded, though Naruto could hardly see her even while she stood not to far from his side. "G-good… And y-y-you?"

Naruto laughed a little shakily. "Great! Uh… Yeah!…" He looked away, folding his hands behind his head in his usual matter. "Cold out, though…" He shivered. "Can't stand the cold."

Hinata looked at him with a frown. "Wh-why are you out h-here in th-th-the cold if you d-d-don't li-ike it?"

Naruto shrugged and then elaborated. "Well, I was looking for you and your dad said you'd be out here, so…"

Hinata glowed red in the darkness, a small smile forming over her lips as her pointer fingers bumped together shyly. "Why d-d-did you c-come look-king for me-e?"

Naruto flushed now. "No reason! Well- I mean- you're my friend and all! Uh… Well, I just thought I'd come visit you!"

Hinata stopped walking. Naruto stopped two steps ahead of her when he realized it. He looked back at her curiously. "Hinata? You alright?"

"N-Naruto?" She took a deep breath.

Naruto strolled back to her. "Yeah?"

She fiddled with her coat. Now or never, now or never, now or never… "Naruto, I like you!" There! The second time in days. Maybe he would realize it now?

Naruto frowned and then smiled. "I know, you told me!"

She released a shaky breath. "N-no Naruto…" How had Lee gotten it through Gaara's head? She tried to remember if Lee had even told him… Oh, wait… She had dared Gaara to kiss Lee and then they had…

Naruto went to turn away, walking ahead of her again, but slowly so she could catch up. "N-Naruto." He stopped and looked back at her curiously. "I-I… want t-t-to show you s-something…" She was beaming red. "C-close your e-eyes."

Naruto groaned. "I don't wanna!" Regardless, he slid them shut.

Hinata took a deep breath. Another one. A third. And then grabbed Naruto's cheeks, holding his face in place as she pecked their lips lightly together. Naruto's eyes shot wide open and he choked on surprise.

It was just a light touch and then Hinata backed away, on the verge of fainting. "I-I l-like you, N-Naruto… _Really _l-like you-u…"

Naruto stared at her, jaw dropped and eyes wide. "… Really?" He shrilled stupidly. An explosive grin came over his face. "Really!" He picked her up high to his chest. "Really!"

Hinata squeaked. "N-Naruto!"

Naruto laughed, lowering her to her feet again only to kiss her longer. It was an inexperienced mesh of lips that was as slobber as lips. He broke apart, licked his lips, and tried again.

Significantly better. Hinata was scarlet in the face, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly. '_He's kissing me! Naruto's kissing me! He likes me!' _Her psyche died a mental death.

They broke away from each other and a trail of saliva connected them. Both of their faces were a solid brick claret.

"I really like you too, Hinata." Naruto admitted, smiling.

Hinata smiled widely, shaking with joy. And then she fainted against him, in bliss.

'_He likes me!' That was all she could think of before passing out._


	31. Chapter 31

_Chapter Twenty-Nine_

Sakura walked down the hall, sighing sadly but happily at the same time. It was the end of their sophomore year… Well, three months from the end, anyway.

Gaara and Lee were hooked up tight. Kiba and Kankuro couldn't get enough of each other. Naruto and Hinata were sweet on each other, Naruto extremely proud and Hinata extremely happy. Shikamaru and Chouji were just right for each other, just like always.

Out of them all, she was alone.

On her way to the main office for something she had no idea, she was having time to think about it.

Once upon a time, Sasuke and her had dated… And then he had used her. In one night, she had lost her virginity and in the morning, she had lost her boyfriend. Sasuke had left her to join another gang, one where he led and each and every one of his mindless followers couldn't care less for anything but his wishes.

She hadn't been in a relationship since or even had a date. Sasuke had been a year ago. Not nearly long enough to make her feel comfortable again, but long enough ago that she could look at Sasuke from across the room and it didn't mean anything to her anymore.

She entered the main office. Principal Tsunade was waiting for her… as well as a boy she had never seen before.

He turned to look at her and had colorlessly pale skin, his eyes completely black. His black hair was smooth and cut unevenly around his head, a sexy wild look without being roguishly so. He wore a sleeveless black tight hoodie and fingerless leather gloves. For pants, he wore black skinny jeans.

He smiled charmingly. "Hello!" His voice had a foreign note to it. "How big is your dick?"

Her heart's thundering turned into rage. "What!"

Principal Tsunade sighed. "Sakura, this is Sai. He's late in the year and I want you to show him around."

"Why couldn't you get a guy to do it?" She whined.

Principal Tsunade slammed a foot to the floor. "Do it!"

Sakura snapped her mouth shut. Sai sauntered to her side. "Hello…" He purred near her ear. "Would you like to know how big my dick is?"

She hit him right across the face. He blinked and looked at her confusedly.

She growled. "Stop with the dicks, you perv!" He blinked. She huffed. "Give me your schedule." He did so, beginning to smile again. She grabbed his wrist and began dragging him out of the office. "Keep your mouth shut and you just might live through the day!"

He smiled widely again now. "Of course, Sakura! I would not want to be whipped by your amazingly large dick!"

She spun on him and glared. "… You know what?" She growled. "You don't. So don't try it." She dragged him to his next class.

Her heart was beating hard again, but it wasn't out of anger. Maybe she had stopped looking too soon… Or maybe she had gone insane.

Either which.


End file.
